


Dirty Dancing

by obina



Category: Dirty Dancing (1987), Final Fantasy XV, Kingsglaive
Genre: Bigotry & Prejudice, Dancing Lessons, Dirty Dancing, F/M, Immigration & Emigration, Lunyx Week, Movie AU, Nyx is meant to use that body to dance, and the innocent Luna will learn lessons, some other themes are touched like:
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-01-23 03:56:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 26,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12498212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obina/pseuds/obina
Summary: Princess Lunafreya Lucis Caelum - the daughter of Regis Lucis Caelum and Sylva Nox Fleuret and the sister of Ravus and Noctis - is a very good mannered, intelligent, innocent and curios young girl. She sneaks out of Insomnia’s palace to join the Glaives in the slums, only to find Nyx and Crowe enjoying their hours of freedom by dancing senseless some galahdian dances in front of hundreds of people.When Crowe gets badly injured during her guard duty, Nyx needs to find a good partner before the dance competition of next month. That may be the hardest thing to find in Insomnia.Until Luna offers.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is chapter 1, but more are coming. Honestly I LOVE writing this fic. It’s so fun, so sensual, and I have the fondest memories of this movie. When I was three it was the only thing I wanted to watch (you can figure what kind of worries this put on my dad’s shoulders xD ). 
> 
> You must agree with me that Nyx is meant to use that body to dance, like, he really has a dancer’s body. And Luna ... what a ballerina. 
> 
> As for the Lunafreya LUCIS CAELUM .... lol. Well, I love this idea. I wanted to use Noctis, but I was tired to explain in every fic how platonic their relationship was (and I was even more tired to find new lovers for him just to give him a happy ending), so I got straight to the point and I turned them into siblings lolol. So, now Regis and Sylva are the parents and Ravus, Luna and Noctis the children. I love this. I love every thing of this. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it as much as I do :)))

If her brothers knew, they would have killed her.

There was no way that the Princess of Lucis had permission to sneak out of the palace to visit the slums of the city, all because of one of her Glaive’s stories. Now that the war against Niflheim seemed to have come to an end and had entered into one of the most delicate moments of the treaty, one single move from a reckless Princess had the potential to soil the reputation of the entire royal family and ruin everything.

In spite of this, Lunafreya Lucis Caelum was ready to take that chance. 

With only a white hood covering her blonde ponytail, she stepped out onto the dirty tiles of the slums, mouth open wide in awe. She had never been in a noisier place. Everyone was screaming without a single argument, the music pumping out from the small shops stacked on top of one another, restaurants filled with hundreds of people strolling along, enjoying the tasty street food.

Luna - that was the name her brother Noctis labeled her with when they were kids - had almost lost herself in that unknown place. If it weren’t for the small GPS incorporated in her ear device, she wouldn’t have found the “Yama's hut” she was aiming for. It was pure luck that her personal Glaive - a black mage named Crowe - lost the GPS a couple of days before; it was convenient for Luna to use it to find her way in the maze of the slums.

Luna liked Crowe’s personality and was thrilled about knowing more of her, even out of work.

“When us Glaives are off, we grab a bite at Yama’s. Galhadian food, Princess. I don’t know if you would like it,” Crowe told her once. She had Luna at ‘us Glaives’. It was no secret how curious the Princess was and how much she was attracted by the subtle dynamics in the Kingsglaive’s department. “If we’re not too tired, we go dancing somewhere after dinner. Or we have a stroll in the streets. You know, the only entertainment we street rats can have.”

“It sounds far more appealing than the boring political talks we have in front of the fire everyday with the rest of the royal family.” 

Crowe smiled. “Family is important, Princess.”

“I know. But I’d love something different for a change.”

So, here she was. Escaping in great secret from the palace, taking refuge in the dangerous slums of Insomnia. Crowe didn’t know anything and undoubtedly she wouldn’t have approved. But Luna was too far in, and she didn’t plan on going back now.

After some time, the Princess finally found the famous restaurant and quickly went down the stairs toward the counter. Luna was disappointed. It wasn't even a proper restaurant, just a stall with a table in the front of it. Some people were sitting there: all Glaives, judging by the uniform. She didn't recognize anyone, except maybe for a blonde guy. She was pretty sure his name was Luche. 

She would have said hello, but considering the circumstances, she wanted to hide her identity until she found Crowe. So, she avoided his gaze.

“Good evening to ya, fine lady. I'm Yama. 'Ow can I help ya?” The owner of the restaurant was an odd guy, with a bandana on his forehead and a dirty apron. 

“I was… looking for Crowe. Crowe Altius,” Luna said, using a very low tone. That was a mistake— the man couldn’t help but be suspicious at her far too gentle manners.

“Were you two supposed to meet here?”

“Not really, it’s … a surprise. Crowe told me she always comes here after work.”

“Indeed, she does. But at this hour she’ll probably be squashed to Nyx’s body, all faint and sweaty,” Yama said, hardly containing a mocking laugh. Behind her, the small group of Glaives burst out in a similar laugh.

“She surely is!”

“’Bet Pelna is crying in a corner already!”

“Nyx, that son of a …!” One Glaive punched the table, looking outraged.

“The smartest of us all, grabbing those thighs of hers every time he can…!” Another Glaive exhibited a gesture Luna would surely have defined as vulgar.

“It’s art, guys, just art!” the third soldier added, but he was clearly joking. Luna turned around, puzzled by the weird discussion her simple request had caused. She squeezed her eyes and bowed a little.

“I'm sorry, I don’t quite understand. Where exactly can I find her now?” 

The Glaives ignored her and persisted in their laughs. Only Yama actually cared to answer.

“Go down those stairs and follow the music. It’s deafening, you can’t miss it. And, oh! Since you’re here, do you mind doing me a little favor?” He didn’t wait for her to accept, and came out from the kitchen holding a huge watermelon. Nonchalantly, he placed it in Luna’s arms.

“Give this to Libertus, will ya.”

“Excuse me?”

“Is it too heavy?” Yama asked, seeing the girl bending under the weight of the big fruit. “Nah, you’ll be fine. You better go,” he concluded, shrugging. Luna blinked, surprised and outraged. She didn’t know how to answer to such a shameless attitude, so she just walked away, suddenly realizing how being alone in the real word could really feel.

'Follow the music’ was a better hint than Luna initially expected it to be. In the midst of all the chaos of the slums, there was in fact an appealing music that overshadowed everything else. It was instinctive, rhythmic, and swinging— calling to her, speaking right to her core.  
It lead her right to the inside a huge pub, which Luna was pretty sure was one of the popular 'Discotheque’. The entrance was free though, so Luna sneaked in under the perplexed gazes of the guardians.

There were so many people inside that Luna and the watermelon had some difficulties moving at first. But what left her speechless was watching the wild dances from the people. Luna had seen something similar only during some documentaries about animals mating.

“For Shiva’s sake!” Luna whispered as she stared, flabbergasted, as a girl and a boy smashed into each other, bodies joining as one into a tribal and sensual singular. “What is–” and her jaw almost fell down when the boy leaned down to kiss the girl’s belly, his fingers creeping up her thighs as she moved to the rhythm. “This is indecent!”

In that very moment, someone casually pushed her from behind and her hood fell down, leaving her exposed. In a matter of seconds, someone recognized her.

“Princess …? No way!” Luna quickly turned around, heart pumping in her chest like a drum. Her cheeks were burning red.

“Libertus!”

“What are you doing here?” The chubby member of the Kingsglaive she could easily recognized anywhere was coming in her direction, a cocktail in one hand and a beer in the other. He noticed the watermelon and stared down at it, puzzled.

“T-this is for you,” Luna stuttered, still flustered by how embarrassing those dances around her made her feel.

“That son of a shoopuff— did Yama-san give you a fricking watermelon to carry down here? He gave it to you? To a Princess?”

“Sssh!” Luna begged, shaking her head. “Please, Sir Ostium, don’t draw any attention to me. Nobody knows I left the palace.”

“You mean you snuck out unguarded?” Libertus stared at her in shock, taking the watermelon from Luna’s arms and giving her the cocktail in exchange. “For Astrals’ sake, come with me. Stay close— we really can’t have royalty get hurt in a pub full of Glaives.”

The pub was indeed full of Glaives. Now that Luna had the guts to look people in the face - and not only at their bodies moving in a savage mockery of dance - she recognized a lot of them. There was Pelna Khara, dancing alone near the counter. Axis Arra, moving like an idiot in the center of the dance floor to the great embarrassment of his partner, and Tredd Furia, kissing a blonde girl in a corner.

Luna followed Libertus, looking around like a lamb in the lions’ den, all innocent and purity. She was irrationally attracted to the rhythmic music and she found herself envying the flexibility of the dancers’ bodies, so boneless and agile, in the center of the dance floor.

“Do you guys do this every night?” Luna asked, screaming so that Libertus could hear her.

“Well, not really. But what did you come here for exactly, Princess? This isn’t a place for someone like you.” 

Pelna had quickly joined their little entourage after he recognized the Princess immediately. He tried to protest to her, but Lunafreya quickly silenced him with a comment. 

“I needed a distraction and Crowe told me about this place. I wanted to meet her and see how you Glaives live when you’re off duty. Where is she?”

Libertus looked at Pelna and both raised their eyebrows before Pelna sighed. Luna swore there was sadness when he said, “Look over there.”

She turned around and followed Pelna’s finger, only to catch an amazing couple in the center of the floor. The Princess immediately wondered how she hadn’t seen them before, since around them a large crowd of cheering people had formed. If there was a competition, Luna would have without a doubt classified them as a brand new level of perfection. Nobody in the discotheque could even compare. 

Crowe was spinning around in the tall man’s arms, like she weighed nothing but air as he moved her like a puppet, ensnared in her own strings. 

"That man…" Luna swallowed. “Nyx Ulric…?” 

Indeed it was, there was no doubt about it. She could have recognized the profile of his body from a million similar ones— that and his peculiar haircut.

The Princess opened her mouth in awe, watching the couple performing some incredible stunts, easily defined as dangerous. Nyx lifted Crowe by taking her by her hips and rotating her in the air like a whirligig, catching her in a sensual pose. Her long leg rested on his side, his nose on her collarbone. Crowe didn’t stand still, but indulged a moment in that position, only to drag herself up by holding onto his neck and crawling up to him, reaching for his mouth and almost kissing him.  
Luna held her breath, anticipating them to begin kissing in front of them all, but Crowe simply smiled and backed off, her body swinging. The crowd showed its disappointment by cheering and screaming, but neither Crowe nor Nyx cared, continuing their dancing as if they were the only two in the hall.

“They look great together,” Luna said, full of admiration. 

Pelna face palmed; it probably wasn’t the first time he heard that. Libertus smirked and got closer so Luna would be able to hear him.

“Yeah. You’d think they’re a couple, wouldn’t you?”

“Aren’t they?”

“Nah. Not since we were kids.”

Luna looked backed at the two Glaives. They were swinging their hips so close to one another that it made heat in Luna’s cheeks climb. It was lewd.

“He just grabbed her thighs!” Luna exclaimed, pointing at them scandalized. Libertus laughed.

“Well, this is how our Galahdian dances work.”

The song quickly finished and with it Crowe and Nyx, smiling and sweating, stopped their dancing. They looked like they were having fun, letting themselves go, and that touched a hard note in Luna’s heart. Their faces shined so bright it made them look like stars in the middle of a thousand dark meteorites. Luna knew immediately what to call that feeling inside her: Envy. Not jealousy. Or at least, that was what she initially thought.

The two Glaives decided to take a break and approached Libertus and Pelna, their closest friends, both freezing in place when they noticed the Princess.

“You gotta be kidding me,” Nyx groaned, eyes widening.  
Crowe covered her mouth stepping ahead as fast as she could.

“Your Highness, why are you here?” Even if meeting Crowe was the purpose of her entire breakout, Luna was now hesitant in seeing her. Maybe because it was the first time they met outside of her time on duty. Or, maybe, because she just saw her dancing senseless with one of the most attractive men in the Kingsglaive. The way their bodies had touched...

“I … I carried a watermelon.”

Crowe looked at her for a several seconds straight, saying nothing. There was no polite answer to such a stupid statement.  
Luna curled her lips in a grimace. Why did she have to make herself so ridiculous?

“I carried a watermelon...?” Luna repeated.

“Ok, you have to go back before your father - or your brothers - find out!” Crowe said, shaking her head in frustration. She seemed determined in taking the situation into her own hands, quite literally. She took the Princess’ shoulder and made her turn around.

“No!” Luna immediately objected. “It’s too late and I’m already here! Let me stay for a little longer. Just go on! Dance and have fun, Crowe! Nothing bad could possibly happen to me in a room full of Glaives.”

Crowe hesitated, looking at Luna’s big blue eyes. Since she was charged with her safety, Crowe had grown extremely protective of the Princess, so much so that she easily behaved more like a mother than a bodyguard. And, just like a mother, she couldn’t say no to the innocent blue eyes staring up at her, batting her lashes.

“Fine, but just ten more minutes. I’ll get to have another dance. Stay here and if someone recognize you, don’t say anything. Just come to me,” she said, raising a finger toward Luna.  
Luna internally jubilated, but only slightly smiled to show her joy.

“Thank you! Anyway, I didn’t know you guys could dance like this, it’s–” Luna gestured, “—amazing! Where did you learn?”

“It’s just our heritage,” Nyx explained, taking the drink Pelna was offering to him. He took a long sip. There was sweat on his face and neck, but he seemed used to it— from the battlefield and the dance floor.

“Really? So, Sir Ostium, can you dance like that, too?” 

Nyx almost spit his drink out in an attempt of hiding his explosive laugh. Wiping away the liquid with his bare arm, he started to chuckle, amused.

Libertus showed his salty side. “Ah-ah-ah, yeah, make fun of me. This doesn’t make me less Galahdian than people dancing like animals in their spare time. I just have other … Gifts. Yeah, that’s it.”

Nyx clicked his tongue and shrugged.

“Sure, tell the Princess more about it. In the meantime, me and Crowe are gunna have another dance. Shall we?” Crowe clearly agreed because she was already pulling him on the dance floor, eager to continue to move.

“Is she gunna be ok?” Nyx asked when they were alone again. He couldn’t really understand her willingness to let the Princess stay in the discotheque.

“She would never forgive me if I didn’t let her stay,” Crowe explained.

“The Princes will kill you if they find out.”

“I know.”  
The brunette stuck her body to his and started to roll, following the beat. Nyx initially went along with it, but his gaze kept sneaking to the Princess, as if he was worried for her. Crowe noticed this, smirking.

“Invite her to dance.”  
Nyx heard the sentence but he could hardly understand it. It didn’t even sound like words. He frowned and tried to focus harder on Crowe.

“What?”

 

“Invite her to dance. She’s looking at you like something to eat. I bet she wouldn’t say no.” 

Nyx glanced at Luna, whose mouth was opened wide, watching them from afar. The innocence and the marvel on her aristocratic face was almost funny to admire, so dissonant with the situation, but at the same time it was so appealing that Nyx could hardly hide his interest. He indulged the thought, just for a moment, wondering how it would feel to pull her closer in a dance. The mere thought set his guts on fire.

“Something to eat? I’d say she’s looking at us like she’s at the zoo.”

Crowe giggled, but now Nyx was hesitant. They pirouetted and danced for a little more, but then Nyx grew courageous and entrusted the brunette to Pelna - who literally couldn’t have wished for a better chance - and waved at the Princess. As he offered his hand to her, he enjoyed the panic forming on her face.

“Me? No… Not a good idea.” Of course she would have refused in the beginning, but Nyx tried again, hoping for a more positive response. She was so beautiful in that moment, her cheeks burning red. He didn’t know what was he was possibly thinking, but he just knew that giving up wasn’t an option.

“C'mon.” He moved his fingers.

“I can waltz. Not this.”

“I’ll teach you.”

Nyx took her hand gently but firmly and this time she let him, even though she looked at Crowe in the vain hope to receive some support. When they reached the center of the dance floor, the Glaive positioned himself in front of her and gently lifted her chin.

“Look at me.” She did and their eyes glued together. “The basis is simple. Just slowly roll your hips.” And as he said so, he rested his hands on her waist, causing her to panic.  
Luna’s face flushed even a more fluorescent shade of red, her expression no doubt panicked, but Nyx decided to ignore her embarrassment and simply started to guide her. He began to slowly roll her hips, hoping that the movement would give her an example. 

After a moment of hesitance, Luna imitated him. 

“Yes. Good.” He bit down on his lip in an extremely attractive smirk, which should have been considered illegal. “Now this.” He started to sway, increasing the pace as she managed to move correctly. He looked satisfied on how quick she learned, and due to her movements he grew more comfortable. He even dared to pull her closer, her entire body attached to his.

“Oh, my…” she gasped, but Nyx smiled even wider, taking advantage on her distraction to use his leg to open hers. “Nyx Ulric!” she protested in a little yell, though it did nothing but make him laugh. Pushing her to do something so clearly out of her comfort zone felt like heaven.

He continued, “Just follow me.” 

And she did. 

Nyx felt her loosen her tension a bit so he could guide her by moving his legs to the beat. 

Luna was surprised by how her own body could react to his and to the music, and she actually started to let loose and have fun. She put her arms around his neck and abandoned herself to the rhythm. 

“See? You’re way better than you thought!” Nyx couldn’t hide his surprise, but welcomed her initiative in her movements. When he put his palms on her hips, touching her greedily like he usually did when he danced with Crowe, he forgot for a moment that he had the Princess of Eos in his hands and not another common Galahdian immigrant. 

He should have shown more respect, should have pulled his hands off. But he didn't. He couldn't.

On the contrary, he delicately pushed against her, enjoying the view of her bare neck falling back. He pulled her up and hugged her close again, smelling the strawberry scent of her hair, touching the soft skin of her earlobe with his nose.  
But, like anything, it was bound to end. The song was fading into another and so their dance was officially over. Neither of them had expected the sudden feeling of loss, though neither allowed it to show.

“Another one?” Luna immediately asked but Nyx shook his head, laughing.

“Maybe next time,” he said, glancing at Crowe who was already heading in their direction. Her eyebrows were high on her face, and the smile on her lips said that she knew something more than she dared to say.

“Sorry to interrupt, but the Princess really needs to go home now.”

Nyx pulled his hands off her waist with a certain reluctance and Luna followed. 

“C'mon, your Highness,” Crowe pleaded, taking Luna by the arm as she gently pulled her away. 

Nyx and Luna looked at each other for another second before parting ways, a strange emotion fueling their bodies. A sort of heat which would have been normal in every dancer. But in their case, it wasn’t normal at all.

\----------------

Once Crowe took her home - leading her through some secret corridors anyone other than the Glaive would never have been aware of - Luna found her room annoyingly silent and boring. She kept singing in her head the Galahdian songs she heard at the discotheque, moving her feet to a rhythm beating only in her memory. 

She brushed her teeth and cleaned her skin, catching in the mirror an unusual glow in her eyes and the rose color of her cheeks. She had fun like she never had before, and all of the fun and energy seemed good for her skin. A smile was something so rare to grace her face. After all, royal life didn’t offer a lot to smile about. 

Thinking about all that, she passed a hand over her neck, waist, and thighs, following the burning trace Nyx left behind. She smiled again, heart beating fast like a drum. And, for the first time in forever, she didn’t wish to go to sleep just to have pleasant dreams.  
\----------------

The next morning Crowe knocked at her door, punctual as always. She looked the same as every time before, wearing her usual Kingsglaive’s uniform. Her posture was that of a soldier and her words were as professional as always.

“Milady.” The little bow made Luna nearly laugh. 

“Oh, please, Crowe. I saw you dance half naked in a Galahdian pub yesterday. Let’s not pretend we are not over the formalities now,” she giggled, in a semi confidential tone.  
Crowe smirked, raising an eyebrow. “I wanted to pretend yesterday didn’t happen.”

“But... it did. And you can call me Lunafreya, now. However, I’ll keep your secret so you won’t have any troubles with my family. It was my choice, after all.”

Crowe answered her with a simple nod and together they left Luna’s room and entered the palace corridors. Some Crownsguard positioned at the exits greeted the Princess and her heels clicked on the marble tiles, but everything else was perfectly, peacefully, silent.

When they got closer to the main entrance, they crossed Noctis, Luna’s youngest brother. Without even saying a word, he reached out for Luna. She quickly kissed him on the cheek and parted ways. 

That was their relationship; they really didn’t need to say much outloud for others to hear. They cared for and protected each other, sharing the same point of view about most things. But at the same time they didn’t suffocate each other. 

With Ravus, it was…. different. He was the first child of the line of Lucis, but due to his tormented personality, their father Regis had chosen to put him as the leader of the army, while Noctis became the official heir to the throne. 

It was a deal that everyone accepted, in the end.

In the huge court of the Citadel’s palace, a shiny car waited for the Princess. 

As she appeared on the top of the stairs, the two Glaives on duty stood up in a military salute. Luna smiled, recognizing Nyx and Libertus.

She bowed to them both, though she did take a moment to look in their eyes for a brand new complicity that she immediately knew she loved. But she also knew who was the true reason beyond the crazy beat of her heart.

“Sir Ulric …” Luna whispered, waiting for him to take her hand, as to help her into the car.  
“Your Highness.” Nyx’s smirk would have illuminated Lestallum for a week if the power station had needed the wattage.

Libertus noticed, shaking his head as he jumped behind the wheel, Crowe sitting in the front next to him. Nyx and Luna positioned themselves in the back-seat.

“Welcome aboard,” Libertus started as they readied to leave, his tone a serious, mocking sound that made Luna nearly laugh. “Our destination is Insomnia’s theater, where the daughter of King Regis and Queen Sylva will have some kind of business that I don’t really know anything about. I hope you will have a comfortable journey. Please put on your seat belt, do not talk to the driver, and to lower the volume of your voice as to not disturb the other passengers. The arrival time is scheduled for 10:15 AM. The temperature outside is 23 degrees. We hope you have a safe journey and we thank you for choosing Kingsglaive airlines.”

Crowe gave him a punch on the leg and he cried loudly, dramatic as always. Nyx covered his face, unsure of what suave phrase he could say that would have made the girls smile.

“Shut up and drive, Lib.”

“So Princess. Did you like your few hours of freedom yesterday?” 

For some reason, Luna peered at Nyx through her eyelashes, her cheeks flushing red, and got even more flustered when she noticed he was avoiding her gaze. “Yes, I … I did.” 

Libertus smirked and looked at her in the rearview mirror. “Did you now? Goooood, so you’re gonna be there next month, when Nyx and Crowe are going to debut on stage?”

“Libertus!” Nyx immediately protested.

“What?” Libertus acted like he had done nothing wrong, just like the clueless punk he always was.

“Debut on stage?” Such a phrase clearly switched the Princess’ attention on. Whatever it was, she was determined to learn more.

“It’s nothing, your Highness,” Nyx answered.

“Well, it’s not really 'nothing’…” Crowe decided that at that point it was safe to let Luna know. “Nyx and I signed up for a famous dance competition. There’s a lot of money at stake, enough money to go back to Galahd and start rebuilding our homes.”

“Oh.” Luna’s heart inevitably ached. “You want to go back home.”

There was silence. Nobody could say that living in Insomnia was bad, since King Regis had been generous with the Kingsglaive, but they still were only immigrants. Even after years, Insomnia wasn’t their home.

The car left the Citadel and entered into the core of the city, hitting only a bit of traffic at rush hour.

“Anyway, Princess, you should come to see them,” Libertus continued, trying to put a cheerful note on their conversation.

“No, she doesn’t,” Nyx said.

“C'mon, bud.” Libertus turned around a bit to look his friend in the eyes. “Don’t be like that, it could be —”

All of a sudden, Crowe grabbed the instrumental panel of the car to hold on a she screamed.

“Niffs!!”

“Libertus—watch out!”

Libertus turned around, but it was too late. All that Luna remembered was Nyx sheltering her with his own body, pushing her against the soft material of the seat.  
After that, only black.

\------------------

“They were lucky to survive. The car is absolutely destroyed. The attack was nothing but the result of a mad man who had not plan other than to start shooting. He wasn’t even in touch with the resistance, and is now under arrest. However, the two Glaives that sat in the front won’t be able to walk for a while, but the doctors say they will heal. They’ll just need time. The Princess is safe, thanks to Nyx Ulric, who was miraculously uninjured as well.”

\---------------

“What about the competition, Nyx?” Crowe whispered from the bed of the hospital as her friend reached out for her hand.

He was sad when he said, “All that matters is that you and Libertus are alive. You had me scared.” 

But Crowe shook her head, causing herself unnecessary pain. She was covered in bandages, resembling more a mummy than a human.

“You still can participate. Maybe you should just find another partner.”

“Oh really? Do you think it’s that easy to find someone on our level here in Insomnia, Crowe?” Nyx asked, rolling his eyes.

“I’ll do it.”  
The Princess, who had been on her way into the hospital room, had heard everything. 

Nyx was flabbergasted, staring at her with such a shocked expression that it could have been easily confused with panic. 

“You’re in this condition because you were guarding me. Let me try and do my best to repay you for the damage I put you through.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I love this AU for them. And things are getting hotter here :3 
> 
> Btw, this fic is freely inspired by the movie, so you will have some new elements in it, I hope you don’t mind. 
> 
> Aaand … Thanks to @rsasai for the huge help in editing this chapter! You really turned my confused words in logical sentences, amazing xD

Nyx was certain this wouldn't have been a good idea. He didn't agree with having the Princess being present at the discotheque without her family's approval and even less with the Princess being his direct partner in Crowe's place. Yet, here she was.

"If your parents find out ... If your brothers find out... I'm fired. Not only will I lose the prize, I'll lose also my primary source of income and I won't be able to go back to Galahd ever again."

Lunafreya nodded and moved to her feet, squashing her fingers in her own palms. She wore a simple, short dress for the occasion, matched with some gym shoes to feel more comfortable, but it hadn’t helped. She had never felt so nervous in her whole life.

"I know. With a wig and some good makeup nobody will recognize me when I'm on stage. The real problem is learning to dance." Nyx raised the eyebrows and made a grimace similar to a smile, crossing arms so that his perfectly shaped muscled were pulled at the thick material of the Kingsglaive's jacket.

"No, I can be a good teacher. Don’t worry about that. But we have only a month. I need to train you every single day, for hours and hours, probably until your legs will hurt and your back breaks. How do you plan to do it without your family noticing?" There was doubt in his voice and sarcasm in his eyes. Luna couldn't blame him, of course. She was the most insane partner choice for a slum's dance competition.

"I-I will arrange it, somehow."

Nyx shook his head. "Fine." He took off his jacket and abandoned it on a nearby chair, showing the perfect shape of his mix of soldier and dancer’s body.

They were in the gym hall of the Kingsglaive's department, which at that hour was empty. It was 9 pm after all. The rest of the Glaives were at Yama's already. Nyx locked all the doors anyway, just to be sure nobody wouldn't interrupt them.

Also, of course, it was imperative that nobody would find out that a Glaive was training the Princess for a dance contest.

Luna stood paralyzed in the center of the floor, looking at Nyx like he was an assassin sent after her.

When Nyx turned around he noticed, so he raised his hands in such a princely and polite gesture, but Luna knew it was to mock her.

"What's that face for, Princess? You're the one who offered."

"I'm fine! I'm just ... A bit nervous."

Nyx smiled this time, getting closer with a smug yet gentle confidence. “Relax,"he whispered, taking her into his arms. With the smallest effort he sustained her entire weight.   
Of course such proximity didn't relax her at all, on the contrary. Her cheeks flushed, her heart went crazy.

He noticed and, thinking about how long the road was ahead, he sighed. He freed a hand to press against her chest, feeling her heart beating wildly against his fingers.   
Luna froze, focusing on his warm fingers on the bare skin of her collarbone, the pleasant sensation of having his eyes on her.

"Are you really going to teach me how to breathe?"

"I hoped it wouldn't have been necessary.“He smiled. "But it is. Listen, Princess." And he used the thumb to lift her chin like he did once before. Their eyes glued again, this time in utter silence and tranquillity.

"If you want to be my partner in this, I need to connect with you. Me and Crowe, we’ve known each other since we were kids. We know each other's bodies. We understand each other even before we open our mouths to speak. That's why we're good together. And if I'm not even allowed to touch you without making you feel faint, how exactly am I supposed to guide you into the ancient tribal dances from my homeland?"

Luna swallowed, magnetized by his hazel-blue eyes starring right into her soul. For some reason, the idea of having him knowing her so much scared her.

"It's ... just… I’m not used to it. No man except my father or brothers ever hugged me, and ..." Luna moved in his arms, not at ease with the words she was choosing.

His fingers deepened in the skin of her lower back, like he wanted to keep her still.

"It's not a hug. It's a dance position. I'm here to teach you, not to cuddle." Nyx smirked, trying to knock her fears away with some sarcasm, but he was the first one to know her didn’t even believe what he was saying. Of course the proximity would have been a problem for him, too.

With Crowe he had years and years of platonic affection to count on, so there was no real risk to compromise their relationship with a dance. On the contrary, their familiarity made them even more skilled. But with the Princess ... Touching her like he touched Crowe had a different feeling, something under his skin. She was a new experience, something so far from all he ever had before. It was utterly and completely appealing in a way that was difficult for words.

"I know, I'm sorry, it's just that ... this kind of dance is considered indecent in my world and I feel--" She lost her words in her own embarrassment as she kept staring at Nyx's hands on her waist.

The Glaive bit his lip in a nervous gesture as he lifted the Princess's chin again to force her to look at him.

"Don't look down. Don't look at anything else but me."

Luna held her breath, hit hard by his following meaningful words.

"Good manners and etiquettes are only prejudices society says we have to conform to. Thinking about what other people will think won't help you to express yourself. You gotta break the borders of your mind. While dancing ... I have to become your only world." Nyx caressed her neck delicately His eyes followed his fingers, getting lost in it. "Alright?"

Luna nodded, hesitating at first but more convinced in the end. "Fine."

To test her, Nyx lowered one hand until he reached her hip and there he stayed. He kept the other hand on her neck, surrounding it. Somehow, Luna understood the movement he wanted her to do even before he said: "Push yourself back. I won't let you fall."

With a deep sigh, Luna stepped ahead, sticking to his entire body, grabbing his shoulders like he was an anchor. Then, she let her neck incline back, losing her balance but exactly like he promised he was there to hold her. His strong arms easily carried her entire weight, because— like Nyx noticed already — she was far thinner than the dancers he was used to.

He guided her to make a turn and pulled her up calmly, focusing on her muscle tensing and relaxing. As she did the movements he requested, Nyx had to resist the temptation to place a kiss on her collarbone. It was so exposed to his sight; so soft, so alluring. He swallowed down the desire in silence and luckly enough Luna's blues found him only after that. The smile which touched his mouth was uncertain though, and he knew she could see it, too.

"Good?" she asked.

"Good." Glaives never blushed, but he had to break eye contact anyway. "Now, I'll teach you some simple moves."

\----------

It had been fun at the beginning.

Meeting an attractive member of the Kingsglaive in secret gave her a vibe of adventure she never had before, so the idea of sleeping less in order to make space to the dance lessons didn't bother her.

This was, of course, until Nyx didn't speed up the pace of their dancing and her learning. And at that point, the idea of dancing felt more like the sensation of descending into hell.

"No, raise your chin when you turn. The arms should be straight here. Quicker. Put some effort in it, c'mon!"

More or less, he yelled at her the same words over and over again.

Nyx had been honest from the very beginning: The training was going to be hard and he wouldn't go easy on her just because she was a princess. He kept that promise.   
He almost broke her bones pushing her to limits she didn't think she could reach.But even it was tough, Luna had finally the chance to prove herself tougher. She liked it, in a way, because it was her choice. The price of freedom was always the highest. That was what her father once told her and she found it to be quite true. So, she didn't give up, not even when she woke up in the morning with muscles she didn’t even know she had aching.

Lunafreya continued to have dinner with her family every evening, but when they moved to the large room where they all used to sit in front of the fireplace, she always said she had something else to do.

"You're very busy lately, Lunafreya,” her father, King Regis, said once. He was sitting on his luxurious red chair, his wife Sylva in front of him. "Are you sure these gym lessons are good for you? You look tired."

Luna turned to look at her parents, the portrait of elegance and calm. They didn't deserve lies, so she had to go for a"half truth" when she first explained what was going on in her new schedule.

"Yes, I'm a bit tired, but I feel better since I started the course. I was becoming lazy. I needed to get in shape."

"Becoming lazy? My opinion is that such an idea should have been from a different sibling,” Ravus commented, raising his chin from his book to look at Noctis, who was busy playing King's Knight in a corner. The younger Prince didn't even bother to answer, knowing it was betterto mindhis own business.

"Ravus, my son, please,” Regis whispered, before looking at Luna again. "It's fine, my dear. You can go. Remember to take an escort with you."

“Of course. Sir Ulric will come."

“Right. The Glaive who took the place of Lady Crowe." Luna's heart bumped for a second, sensing a hint of judgment in her father's voice.

"The man who saved my life when the accident happened,” she specified then.

Her father nodded, so Luna kissed him and her mum on the cheek, wishing them good night. As she passed by, Noctis leaned up so he could receive the same treatment, not even bothering to raise his eyes from the phone. This caused Luna to giggle. She kissed him on the cheek too and left the room.

She quickly changed her clothing, wearing a pair of white leggings and a long top of the same color. She didn't forget to refresh her make up. For some reason she wanted to look nice for her training.

Of course, the effort was repaid every night when Nyx Ulric saw her coming down the stairs, beautiful and glowing, and he forgot how to breathe.

\------------

Nyx had taken her to a small theater on the borders of the city which was abandoned a couple of years before because the owner couldn't pay his taxes. Being friends with one of the policemen who was in charge, Nyx and Crowe had easily gained the keys to use the theater for their trainings.

Now, Nyx thought that a better place couldn't have existed for him to teach the Princess how to dance. The Kingsglaive's halls were too dangerous.

"So, your father really believes you're having some gym lessons?"the Glaive asked, during the break he had to give her after an hour straight of frantic training. Luna nodded at his question. "And what does your moral and educated conscience say about it?" he investigated further, trying to steal a smile from her. He succeeded.

"Well, it is a sort of gymnastics, isn't it?" Luna answered, breathing heavily and accepting the bottle of water he was offering to her.

"Yeah, think so. But it's not the sport's definition which would bother him, I guess."

"What then?"

Nyx shrugged. "I don't know, maybe the fact that your idea of 'gymnastics' implies that you’re brushing up all over a Glaive's body."

Luna bursted into a small laugh, sweet and crystalline. He noticed how her eyes seemed to glow differently when she did.

"Weren't you the one who said I had to break the borders of my mind and forget about these prejudices?'"

"Only if you really want to be my partner in this. You can still step back, you know. If ... If you think it's too much." He was still trying to joke but this time a hint of hesitation caressed his voice.

Luna swallowed the fresh water and took a moment to observe his features. She knew him for a couple of years by now and she always thought he had been good looking, but she never went much further than that.

However, the entire situation that had happened to them recently brought them close enough for her to get familiar with more than just his good sides, to see beyond the only surface. She started to notice the small defects on his face, the invisible scars, the imperfections on his skin due to an illness he got when he was a child, the wayhis ears were a bit larger than average. She started to notice the constant fatigue in his eyes, the mark of suffering, well hidden beyond the smug and haughty appearance.   
And as she learned his flaws, she started to appreciate him more.

"I won't step back now, Nyx Ulric. I gave you my word."

Nyx never ceased to be surprised by her determination and in that moment too, he felt unprepared and unworthy in front of her gentle words.

"Thank you. You're a ... kind Princess." Usually such a statement would have been slightly sarcastic in his mouth, but the Glaive was serious now. He really meant it.

"If we don’t win the competition because of me ... I-I will find another solution to bring you the money."

"Really? You're gonna steal from your daddy's credit card?" Nyx helped her up.Their breaktime was over.

"If you want to go back to Galahd, I could arrange a --"

"I don't want your money, Princess,” he interrupted her, looking her straight in the eyes. “I don’t need a handout. We’re gonna win the competition. You'll see."

Luna swallowed and nodded. Nyx gave her a minute to realize how much trust he was putting in her and then he took out a bandage from his pocket.

"What's that?" she asked, her voice quivering. She wasn’t sure she liked the bandage very much.

"We warmed our muscles, Princess. Now the real lessons starts. Close your eyes." Nyx turned her around. Once he was behind her he tied the bandage around her face until he covered her eyes completely.

"What do you mean by 'the lesson starts now'? I'm exhausted already,” she complained, but she worried way more about being blind than about her tiredness. As matter of fact, she continued,"Nyx, wait, what is this for exactly?"

"You're too technical. I taught you the basic moves already, but these won't give us the victory. We need to aim higher. So, before doing some crazy stunts you'll need to learn to understand my body and the way I move ... blindly. You count on your sight way too much: You can't dance by looking constantly at how your feet move. You need to focus on other senses, touch being the first."

Luna grabbed his wrists, already panicking when she started to lose balance.

"Are you asking me to dance with a bandage covering my eyes? If I'm blind, I’ll barely be able to stay straight on my feet!"

"That's why you'll need to rely on me and not on yourself,”He smirked, taking her in his arms and helping her to find the right starting position.

Luna really had some big difficulties at the beginning. The Glaive made her turn around and swing a bit and the more she started to get used to being blind, the more she had to grab onto his body to not lose balance. That was right what he wanted, because doing so she was more malleable and flexible. Not having other choice, she trusted him completely for every smallest step.

He turned on the music then and they tried to move along with the rhythm, using the moves Lunafreya learned before her sight had been taken. At a certain point, Nyx surprised her by leaning down and grabbing her knee, lifting it up until it reached his hip.

The Princess gasped and held tight to his neck, almost falling back. A giggle escaped from both of their mouths as they continued to move and move, every inch of their bodies in tune, lost in the music. Luna didn't feel like his hands on her skin were intrusive anymore. The initial embarrassment had passed after the first few dayswhere he had touched her like no other man had before. So, she let him touch her again now, this time feeling him like she never had before that moment. Being blind amplified her other senses, and this helped her to follow the music in a different way, enjoying truly the essence of what she was doing.

Nyx's body on hers was natural. She loved the way his abdomen sticked to her breast, the way his strong arms surrounded her back, how his hands left white signs on her muscles. Dragged by the new exciting experience, Luna used her arms to lift herself up until she pressed her lips to his neck, inhaling the smell of him deeply.   
It was the Glaive's turn to gasp, yet he didn't complain if not with a whispered curse. ”Damn, Princess."

"Not good?”she asked innocently, slowing the dance, fearing she really did something wrong.

Nyx bit his lip. Yes. Yes, of course it was good. But not in the right sense.

"Just keep moving,” he sighed, feeling on the edge of his self control but trying to sound like he wasn’t falling apart at the seams.

For the first time in his whole life, Nyx feared he wouldn't be able to finish the dance without kissing his partner senseless. He never felt such an urge for a girl he danced with, and he surely hadn’t expected to feel it for the Princess. Yet here he was, passing his hands on her thighs with a greed which was not professional at all, drinking in every detail of her body, taking advantage on the fact she couldn't catch him staring. He didn't even know he was dying of thirst until that moment, when he had such an amazing bottle of fresh water like her in front of him.

And exactly like water, she moved. She was silent and pure, yet sparkling and lively, ready to adapt to his requests. What would Nyx have given to take a sip?

She didn't interrupt the dance even when he distanced from her and then pulled her back, holding her close in his arms, like he wanted to protect her from his own indiscreet eyes. Then, he raised her from the ground, making her do a little jump.

Luna screamed at that; being blind, she reacted so violently she almost hit him with an arm.

Nyx laughed when he put her down. “Tomorrow… bring a swimsuit,” he whispered to her ear, making her shiver and lose her balance even worse. "You're gonna like the next lesson."

\------------

The next secret meeting took place in a pool near to Nyx's apartment. Luna guessed he payed a lot for it, since they were completely alone that night.

"You're probably wondering why I took you to the pool and how this is going to help you with dancing.”

Of course Luna was wondering about that. The idea of being in only a swimsuit in front of him didn't make her feel comfortable. It was also hard to deny that it was also because his own shirtless chest was very… distracting. There were so many scars and magic spirals on his bare skin, it almost look like a constellation map and she feared she would have ended up studying that instead of the choreography.

"One of the stunts needs you to jump, with me picking you up,” Nyx explained then. "We'll train in the water. It’ll be easier for both of us."

\---------

They already had done dozens of tries, yet something kept go wrong. Luna couldn't jump without making Nyx fall down, too. In spite of every attempt, they just kept losing balance.

Out of the water it was even worse.

"You can do the jump with Crowe, right?" Luna asked when they finally left the pool.

Nyx hesitated to answer, which was already an answer.

The Princess sighed desperately. "I'm sorry, Nyx. We'll try again tomorrow and I swear to the gods that if I won't learn, I--"

"Don't push yourself. It’s fine,” Nyx replied, opening the door of the car to let her in. It was almost midnight and they had to be quick to get back to the Palace. They lost track of time and if the Princess wasn't back soon, the gossip would no doubt start. She never was so late.

"It's not fine. I don't want you to lose the competition because of me. The day is getting closer and I still don't know how to jump without breaking both our backs."

Nyx sat in the driver’s seat and turned on the engine. He didn't reply. He got strangely silent since they left the pool. "Nyx."

He blinked at her and then at the street again. The roads were empty and dark. Insomnia was beautiful at night.

"The competition starts next week, isn't it?" The man nodded.

"Yes. The selection is on Thursday. I took the day off, so I should be able to come to pick you up at 6 pm. The finale is on Friday night."

"Fine, I'll arrange my schedule." There was a minute of silence. “Nyx. Why do you want to go back to Galahd?"

A few seconds passed again before he answered: "It's my home."

"Do you have someone to wait for you there?" she asked. Nyx knew what she was really asking. She wanted to know if he had family or a girl back home.

"No. Only ghosts."

"So why not stay here? Don't you like Insomnia? Is the Kingsglaive's life too hard?"

"No, it's just..." He briefly glanced at her again because, if he were honest with himself, he was addicted to her eyes. But he knew he had to focus back on the road. "I'm only an immigrant here and I'll always be. No matter how hard I try to distinguish myself. I may be able to use the King's magic, and I may be the best of the department and, hells, I may also be called 'hero' for some reason… but at the end of the day... it doesn't matter. For Insomnia, I'm only an immigrant. I'm fine here, but ... sometimes it's not enough, you know?"

Luna felt her heart ache looking at how serious he was under the moving lights of the city outside the car.

Nyx continued,"I need to start a new life. When Galahd was destroyed and I lost my family, I arrived here as a desperate teenager with no real purpose or hope. These years as an immigrant in Insomnia changed me. I took notice of a lot of things. I mourned. I grew up. I feel ... ready to be someone, to start something that I can call 'mine'."

"You mean ... A family?" That idea surprised Luna in a pleasant way. She didn't expect Nyx to be one to look for something similar.

"I don't know yet. A family. A house. A job. Whatever it is, I think I’ll find it in Galahd, not here. Crowe and Libertus agree, so hopefully we can go back together."

Luna got lost in watching his profile. He was so thoughtful while imagining a future far from Insomnia. Far from her, too.

"You will be missed."

Nyx was caught by surprise and smiled. "You're talking like I'm gonna die."

"No, it's just that... I mean. People will miss you." Nyx couldn't help but finding her struggle with expressing herself quite funny and more endearing than he wanted to admin.

"People, who?"

"The Kingsglaive department will miss you."

"Really? And what do you know?" he asked with half a laugh.

"... I will miss you."

And this made Nyx's heart stop. He ceased his laughing, holding his breath and looking at her. He tightenedhis fingers on the wheel, almost crushing it under his suddenly nervous touch. The silence falling inside the car after the jovial vibes felt strange and made Luna blush hard.

"You wouldn’t,” Nyx whispered, and such a sentence felt more like a plea than a statement. He found something to do on the car's panel. He turned on the AC, he controlled the buttons of the engine, everything to avoid continuing that conversation.

Luna moved in her seat, trying to become invisible, so embarrassed that she would have preferred to die. What was she even thinking when she said that?

Once they entered the Citadel and arrived in the court of the palace, she jumped out without saying a word.

"Princess!" Nyx called, running after her. He took her by the hand so she had to stop and turned around. Nyx's eyes were still hesitating when they fingers entwined, but this didn't stop him from delicately kissing her hand. "See you tomorrow, ok? You're gonna do that jump, I'm sure of it."

Luna nodded, but the rest of her body was still paralyzed, watching him in awe.

She wasn't able to sleep that night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I’m sorry for the awfully long waiting. I have to thank @rsasai (Strange and Intoxicating -rsa- (strangeandintoxicating) for editing this chapter in spite of everything, so I was finally able to publish it :3 thank you, darling, I really appreciate it. 
> 
> The next (and last) chapter is ready to be published too, and just for your information I tell you I’m focusing now on the “see Luna safe to Altissia” fic, the other big finale I know a lot of you are waiting for xD After seeing Episode Ignis, I finally have all the material I need for finish it, so expect that soon. 
> 
> Back to Dirty Dancing, look at Lunyx in this chapter, being sexy and so fricking in love and you’ll have a vague idea of hard I still ship it. I fear I will never get over them.

Crowe was allowed to stand up from her bed only to move to the couch. Libertus was luckier than her, because — having only a leg broken — he could move around with crutches.

On a day when she was free from her royal appointments, Luna picked some sylleblossoms from the gardens and decided to pay to Crowe a visit for the first time since she decided to help with the dancing. She had some difficulties in finding her home, as all the Glaives lived in uniform block homes and no one seemed particularly keen on bringing her there. But Luna won in the end— as she always did — and she had her safe ride to the building. It was nothing more than a huge gray box divided in sections where every Glaive had their own apartment. It took Luna fifteen minutes to find Crowe's and when she did, she found Pelna in the kitchen, cooking only Pelna knew what. Luna couldn't recognize the smell so she supposed it was some kind of Galahdian food.

"Oh, Your Highness! What a surprise!" Pelna bowed when he saw the Princess enter, before he led the way to Crowe's room. The mage was there, lazily watching tv with a bored expression.

Luna waved the flowers to her, and the Glaive bursted out in a laugh and asked in a mocking tone, ”Do I look like a flower girl?"

"Next time I'll bring you chocolate,” Luna answered with a smile, making her way to the bed where her former bodyguard was situated.

"Do you want a cup of tea, Princess? Or an Ebony, maybe?" Pelna asked, but Luna only shook her head. Before he left, he made sure to bow again, far too deeply for Luna’s liking.

“Really, I'm fine,” the Princess said, trying to put him at ease, but considering his pulled face she knew that would have been a challenge.

"Ok... So, uhm, have fun?” When Pelna left, Luna slowly turned around to glance at Crowe, with a highly raised eyebrow.

"... You and Pelna, huh?" Crowe rolled her eyes and sighed, frustrated.

"Not what you think. He's a friend and he helps me with food and other things since I can't get out of this bed." The brunette seemed almost irritated by the insinuation and since Luna didn't come to start a fight, the only thing she could do was to let it go. Luna was hundred percent positive that Pelna didn't consider Crowe just a friend, even if Crowe didn’t quite see it in the same light.

“That’s fine, don't get mad at me, now. How do you feel?" Crowe sighed and pointed at her feet, both closed in plaster.

"They won't let me move for a least another couple of weeks. But Princess … I’m so bored."

Luna could only imagine the stress Crowe felt, as she would have felt the same way. Thanks to the Stars, she had Nyx protecting her with his own body when the accident happened, otherwise she would have been in the same condition. Or… maybe she would have been dead. Luna realized she owed Nyx more than she had ever said, and maybe that was the true reason as to why she really wanted to help him with the dance contest.

While she was listening to Crowe complain, the Princess went searching through Crowe’s apartment for a nice vase, putting the flowers in it. The two girls chatted a bit and then finally they touched on the subject they cared for the most.

"So how’s the training going?" Luna gazed at her friend and sighed. Crowe seemed to get the idea pretty fast. "Oh. How bad?"

"No, no, I mean, Nyx is amazing, but ..."

"Is he ...?" It was Crowe's turn to raise her eyebrows. Luna grimaced before putting on a smile.

"Well, he may be stern sometimes. But he's not the problem. It's me. I ... am not at his level."

"Of course you're not. He’s been dancing since he was 16, while you stared three weeks ago."

"That's what he says, too. But excuses won't win competitions. And I ... just ... don't want to let Nyx down." Luna swallowed, feeling her heart breaking in her chest. She let herself fall onto the bed next to Crowe. Crowe felt like she had to comfort her somehow so she just reached for her hand, causing herself some pain when her ribs creaked.

“I think that with a good wig, people won’t even notice the difference between you and I. And even if you don’t win, remember that it's just a competition. Nyx’ll understand."

"But you all need money to go back to Galahd… And you wouldn’t ever accept a personal donation, right? So you have to win. You deserve the chance to start a new life, to not be considered only ‘immigrants.' You’re more than that."

Crowe grimaced. "Nyx told you about those things, didn't he?" Luna nodded, so the other girl just shook her head. "It is the truth, being immigrants in Insomnia is hard. We were chosen because of our affinity with the King's magic on the battlefield, but this doesn't mean we’re treated any better because of it. It’s actually the opposite. The fact we have to live in here, in apartments made of cement instead of the wood houses we were used to in Galahd is evidence of low we are on the list. But this shouldn’t be a weight on your shoulders. Even if you're the Princess, you can't change the mentality of an entire city." Luna felt tears prickling her eyes but she pushed them back. She was stronger than that, at least for now.

"But I want to do something. That’s why I have to help Nyx win that competition." Crowe moved with difficulty on the bed, trying to look her in the face.

“You're helping already. If these are your feelings, I'm sure Nyx is able understand them the same way I do. Just your willingness to support us. it means the world to me.”

\------------

"So, Nyx. What have you been up to lately? We don't see you at the club anymore." Tredd Furia entered in the locker room where Nyx and Libertus -—still hobbling on his crutches — where chatting after their daily training. He was accompanied by Luche and Axis, all of whom seemed bored enough to take the chance to torment their colleagues with their typical bullshit. Thanks to the Stars, even with the treaty on stake, there were no scuffles inside or outside the city, so none of the Kingsglaive were needed on the battlefield. This allowed them to have calm days with easy schedules.

"If you didn't notice, Crowe was badly injured. Why should I come to the club if she’s not there? To dance with you?" Nyx joked, covering his muscled and tattooed chest with a simple t-shirt. He hoped that sarcasm would help him avoid the dangerous possibility of slipping up just a little too much… the one where he accidentally betrayed the Princess.

Tredd looked at his two malicious friends beside him and crossed arms. "We all thought you had a secret date. After all, you didn't retire from the contest, right? So, who's gonna take Crowe's place?"

Nyx hesitated. "Not your business,” he answered, knowing that he was a bad liar. Silence was the better option.

"So, there's a secret date."

"Hey, shut your mouth!" Libertus intervened.

But Tredd didn't seem to care as he continued, "I hope she can stand at Crowe's level, because the other dancers are gonna be tough to beat,” he said, pointing at himself. It was no secret he was one of the participants, too. Nyx rolled the eyes.

"Oh, please. Don’t make me laugh.”

"It would be a shame to see you fail when you're so close to fleeing from Insomnia,” Tredd insisted. He was perfectly aware of what was at stake, and everyone knew he aimed for the contest prize with the same motivation Nyx had. Tredd took his things from the locker and blinked slowly at Nyx, trying to provoke him. It worked in a way, because his mere presence was enough to infuriate him, but Nyx knew better than to pick a fight.

"We'll discuss it on the stage,” he said, trying to keep his voice calm. He looked at Tredd like he could burn him with his gaze alone before closing the locker and leaving, Libertus following him at a hobble on his crutches.

\-----------

Nyx intensified the trainings, fueled by spite, but with much frustration from Luna. Nyx's hopes of her doing the infamous jump seemed, however, to be in vain. She was just not coordinated enough, or maybe (as Nyx was convinced) she was far too scared and lacked the trust required to do the scene. This created some quarrels and tension between the two. Nyx got clearly more nervous after Tredd challenged him so directly and Luna started to have some problems in putting up with the ever-raising difficulty of the training.

"I am not a flexible doll— you just can't throw me up in the sky hoping that I move the way you want!" she yelled one day after a catastrophic near-fall, because of Nyx's impulsivity. Of course, Nyx wouldn't ever let her fall and he had managed to catch her by the skin of his teeth, yet the unexpected move frightened the Princess.

"I know what I’m doing!" the Glaive yelled back, opening his arms.

"Well, I don't!" Luna stopped the stereo with a sharp movement. Now she was tired and upset.

"You have to trust me, Princess! You. Have. To. Trust. Me."

"I trust you, it's just ..." And she didn't finish the sentence. She didn't even know what to say. Whatever the real reason, it was beyond her ability to jump correctly.

They just had to cut that part out from the dance, rendering the choreography far less interesting but manageable for Luna. Nyx hoped that the rest of the dance would be so perfect that the judges wouldn't even notice the absence of it. Otherwise, they surely would lose the competition.

\---------

The day of the selection arrived far too soon and Luna didn't feel ready for it.

As soon as she arranged the perfect excuse with her family, she ran downstairs where she found Nyx, ready to pick her up as promised. He took her to the theater where the first phase of competition would take place. Even if Nyx assured her that the selection would be the easiest part, she was so nervous it was clear it wouldn't end well. When they arrived backstage, Nyx tried his best to be gentle and understanding.

"Princess, you have to calm down,” he said, adjusting her wig so it wouldn't fall down to her forehead during the show. His gesture was sweet indeed and Luna appreciated it a lot. “You've become a great dancer really quick. Come what may, you’ve nothing to embarrass yourself."

But no matter how reassuring the Glaive could be, Luna couldn't really share the same feeling. She watched her image at the mirror, barely recognizing herself under weight of the brown wig and the tribal costume which let her skin very exposed. She still had the feeling of not being prepared enough niggling its way through her guts. Behind her, Nyx was dressed to match her outfit, but he was shirtless, some symbols painted on his bare skin. He was looking at her with worried eyes; it was like he was expecting to see her crumble right before the competition.

When a voice called out Nyx Ulric's and Crowe Altius' names and they reached the stage, Luna felt like all their efforts in the last month had been nothing but a waste of time.

The lights were blinding.

The Princess could barely see the people beyond it, but she knew they were there. She could hear them breathe, whispering comments. What if someone recognized her? Or worse, what if she tripped or made the wrong move?

Nyx pulled her hand, forcing her to look him straight in the eye. "Remember: don't look at anything else but me. It's just you and me. The rest of the world doesn't exist." His voice was the only thing capable to give her the strength to not faint.

She swallowed and the music started. The rhythm had become familiar to Luna in the last weeks, so she just had to try to relax a bit and imagine they were alone in the room. Nyx's presence was reassuring in the same way as the music. Somehow, he had become the magnet that pushed and pulled her, which allowed them to move perfectly in spite of all the stress. Their bodies entwined exactly like they were supposed to. Their moves were smooth, precise…

Mechanical.

The nervousness on the Princess' face couldn't be erased in a matter of seconds. It was easy to predict, Luna moved beautifully... and far too technically. 

Nyx wasn't one to not expect it, since he had grown to know her well in those weeks. He knew the way her mind tricked her, he knew her fears, her insecurities. Halfway through the dance he was pretty sure it would have been better to blindfold her once again if he wanted to dance with Luna instead of a robot. When they finished the dance — of course without the damn jump — Luna was ready to cry. The applause covered her sniffs, while Nyx's hug covered her red cheeks, so the public didn't notice how broken the young ballerina was feeling.

\------------

The ride back to the palace was stiflingly silent.

After two minutes behind the wheel, Nyx tried to say something that would give a modicum of comfort, "We passed the first round, so don’t worry. We still have a chance to win."

But Luna just blinked at him, eyes full of angry tears. She was not angry at him, of course. She was so angry with herself, for not being able to stand at his level. Nyx sighed, trying not to let her hear him. He wasn't in the mood to put up with her frustration, since he wasn't in the mood for anything actually. It was just hard being the one giving comfort when he was the one feeling down. He knew he couldn't blame the Princess, since she was trying her best, yet he would have gladly asked the universe why he could never have something good happen in his life. He really wanted to win that contest, and even if he initially was one of the favorites now things were looking very different; Tredd Furia passed the first round too and presented himself like one of the best, possibly even the frontrunner. If he won, Nyx would have to deal with his obnoxious bragging for the rest of the year, and Nyx was sure the entire Kingsglaive's department wasn't ready for that.

For now, Nyx had to force himself to focus on driving, but in reality, all he thought about was the horrible feeling of having his heart broken as he watched his dreams of going back to Galhad getting further and further away.

\-----------

The next morning, Nyx didn't show up to his usual guard duty. For the first time in his entire career as a Kingsglaive, he left a message that said he felt sick, and Captain Drautos didn't have any other choice but to let him stay home.

Luna felt like the hole she was trying to fill inside her chest suddenly became larger than a ravine. The sense of guilt didn't ease the entire day. She was firmly convinced it was her fault, and even if she knew he probably only wanted to be alone right now, when the sun set, she felt a need growing inside her—she needed to see him.

She had dinner with her family and if they noticed something was off, they didn't say anything. Except Noctis, of course. He knew her better than almost anyone else in the world, and was the only one who pulled her to the side.

"What happened?" he asked in a whisper as they made their way to the fireplace room. They stayed a bit behind in the corridor, following after the others. Ravus blinked at them but he never dared disturb their little talks. It was clear that he had no intention of starting now as he headed into the room.

"I'm fine."

Noct almost seemed offended by her lie. ”Last time you didn't touch Ignis' spaghetti was when you had measles,” he replied, salty. "C'mon, what's going on?"

Luna entwined her fingers in front of her chest, not knowing how to hide her heartbreak anymore. She kept still.

"So, how's your gym course? Are you making any progress?" Noctis insisted, knowing what buttons to press to get a reaction. This time his voice was illusive, which made Luna jump, just the slightest of movements that gave her away. She took her brother's hand and pushed him aside in the corridor, checking to make sure their parents were out of hearing and seeing distance. Thank Bahamut they were far enough away.

"What do you know about my training?"

Noctis shrugged. “Nothing… Well, except that it isn't a gym course." The calm in his voice would have broken a saint.

"And what makes you think of that?"

"Well, where do you want me to start? Three to four hours of gym every evening is a long time for someone who wants to just stay in shape. Then you went on insisted that your training was outside of the Citadel? Like that didn’t set off red flags for me. Let’s see… the new expensive clothes. ... And that’s a nice perfume. Since when do you wear perfume?” Luna couldn’t stop her eyes from widening in dawning horror as Noctis lifted up finger after finger. It looked like he really had a long list. "Your daydreaming expression when —“

"Fine, fine!" Luna raised her hands in surrender, before he could continue any further. "I get it. You're a good detective."

Noctis crossed his arms, resting his back on the wall and abandoning himself to a very indulgent pose.

"So, who's he?" he asked, taking out his phone, tapping on the screen as he utterly ignored Luna’s panic.

"Why should it be—?” Noctis blinked coldly at her, lips pursed. Luna sighed. "The personal trainer,” she admitted in the end, lowering her shoulders in sign of guilty admission.

"A classic." Luna would have laughed at his tone but she really didn't have anything to laugh about.

"He's actually more than a personal trainer. It's... One of daddy's Glaives. He teaches me how to dance Galahdian's tribal dances."

Noctis furrowed the eyebrows, curious. "Which one?"

"Nyx Ulric."

"The hero?" Noctis was clearly surprised by the identity of his sister's secret date, but his brain aimed at another more important question, "But aren't Galahdian dances supposed to be ... Well. You know." Luna's silence was answer enough. Her cheeks turned a deeper shade of fluorescent red. "Wow, sis. Is this your version of 'go big or go home'?"

"Noctis, please."

"If dad finds out, you're dead, you know. If Ravus finds out, Ulric is too."

"That's the reason why you aren’t going to tell a soul, Noctis. Please!" Luna looked pretty distressed by the whole situation and Noctis was willing to let it go.

"Fine by me. But what you told me didn't explain why you feel down today."

Luna sighed and briefly told him what happened the day before. She told him about the first phase of the contest, and about her failure. Noctis listened patiently like the good brother he wanted to be, but Luna knew he couldn't wait to give his opinion, so he could quickly go back to playing King's Knight with Prompto or Gladio. As soon as she finished explaining, she looked at him, waiting for his reply. Noctis pouted his lips, stayed silent for the longest she had seen him since he was born, and then said, "Go to him, I'll cover you."

Luna almost panicked. "Go to him to say what, exactly?” Noctis started to walk towards the fireplace's room, where the rest of the family waited.

"I don't know. Your business, not mine. But you need to face him sooner rather than later, otherwise you’re gunna go bonkers. And he will too, even if he doesn't know it yet. "

For some reason, her brother's words lightened a bit the burden on Luna's heart. 

Without even thinking twice, she was already turning her toward the exit of the Citadel. Noctis trusted her to go alone, thinking she was mature enough to deal with this kind of misunderstanding. Her entire family trusted her in general, because she had always been the wisest among the royal children, among the entire aristocratic youth. But that night, dealing for the first time in her life with new and complicated feelings, Luna felt her heart going so numb that her usual maturity became nothing but a hazy memory.

She snuck out of the Citadel, not even caring if someone noticed her absence. She found herself in front of Nyx’s apartment before she could fully comprehend where her crazy actions were leading her.

——————

Nyx opened the door and stared at Luna in shock. He swallowed after a moment of holding his breath, eyeing her simple white sweater, and jeans.

She was alone, in front of his apartment wearing nothing but an informal outfit to boot— it was not difficult to figure she snuck out of the Citadel once again.

“Hi…” Luna waved at him, shy and hesitant. She held herself in her own arms, like she was fearing her heart would have jumped out of her chest if she let go. “Can I come in?”

Nyx squeezed the eyes for a second, then nodded and moved to the side. Luna stepped ahead, walking far too close to him during the process. For some reason, this made the Glaive shiver.

Luna looked around, observing the simplicity of the apartment. She had never been inside the Glaive’s home, and it reminded her of Crowe’s. Just a simple bed, a couch, a table, a small kitchen, and a tv turned on to a music program. It was a bit of a mess, the curtains were closed and the room smelled of him. Even so — even if it was so different from the sophisticated chambers she was used to in the palace — Luna felt like her heart was lighter just being there… almost like it was home.

“You didn’t come to work today,” the Princess started, turning around to watch him close the door.

“I, uhm. Didn’t feel well.” Nyx put his hands in his pockets, probably aware he was not a good liar and his hands quivering showed that.

“You weren’t in the mood,” Luna corrected him, biting her down lip. “It’s because of my terrible performance yesterday, isn’t it?” Nyx breathed out, shaking his head.

“You weren’t terrible at all. You did amazing for a starter.” As Luna realized the meaning of his words, she felt tears tugging at her eyes once again.

“Yes, for a starter. But I was supposed to look like a professional. I’m so sorry, Nyx. I—I let… you down.” Nyx stepped a bit closer but stopped halfway, frowning and hesitating. The instinct to hug her was strong but too many things were prevent him from acting on that desire. He tried to follow the conversation instead of his natural instinct.

“You didn’t let me down, not at all. I’m not upset with you. I’m not upset with anyone but me.”

That affirmation surprised the girl. “… You?”

“I really need to apologize. You … You’re a Princess,” he started. All of a sudden, he closed his eyes and shook the head, gesturing at her in frustration. “What was I even thinking? You’re a Princess, you’re not supposed to humiliate yourself by dancing on a stage with a Glaive touching you… so inappropriately. It was stupid. I shouldn’t have accepted.”

“You say this only because I failed you.”

“No, you didn’t fail me. You—” Nyx breathed heavily, not even remembering the last time he struggled with words so much. “You honored me with your dedication to such a stupid cause! And I just can’t bear the idea you feel like you failed, when you should only be proud of yourself for all the effort you put in!” He couldn’t stop himself from continuing, “You lied to your family—“ he used the fingers to count the points on the list, "you never skipped a lesson, you put up with me and my teaching experiments, you sweated and damn-near broke your back during the trainings... Not even an immigrant from Galhad would have done something like that! And now you come to me to apologize because you didn’t dance like a pro? I can’t accept it. I don’t want to allow you to feel sorry for being gentle with me. You didn’t have to help me, yet you did because you’re brave and kind!”

The expression on Luna’s face changed drastically when she heard him speaking with such fervor. Her tears dried. Since she came to pay him a visit thinking he was avoiding her because of her bad performance on the stage, she really hadn’t expected him to confess his admiration instead. Her body reacted so strangely that she had to hold on the nearby table to mask her weakness. She didn’t even blush, she just kept staring at him in awe.

Nyx noticed immediately what reaction he had provoked with his words, so he broke eye contact, ashamed of having let his feelings pour out.

"You don't deserve to go this low for me. You belong to a shiny world while I .... I’m nothing." Such a statement truly touched Luna's heart. There was a deeper note in it that let the Princess understand he was not only referring to the dance anymore.

"That's not true, you're everything!"

Nyx swallowed but couldn't accept her words. He just rolled the eyes.

"You don't understand the way it is. People from Galahd or similar provinces aren’t allowed to elevate our status. We’re not allowed to be more than just immigrants. Your smallest bathroom is as big as two apartments in this building, but we are forced to live here, y’know? We tried to move to a bigger house but immigration laws said that no matter what service we glaives offer to the country, we can't leave this structure. It’s because 'the King said it's more practical'.

But we know the truth: Your father is just trying to stop us from spreading all around the corners of the city, where he won’t be able to control us. You can waltz and participate to fancy parties in pretty dresses, while we’re forced to eat at Yama's and dance in a pub in the middle of the slums. We’re also forced to do this in secret because if the Captain or the King found out, we’d be fired and banished from Insomnia.Immigrants Glaives aren’t allowed to perpetuate such an immoral Galahdian tradition.

You can offer to pay the entire prize for the contest if we didn’t win it… But I’m still here, with nothing left but my Galahdian pride to say 'no, I don't want your money.’ Long story short, I really am nothing compared to you — or to some Insomnian civvie— and there's no way anyone can deny it. I shouldn’t have forced you to dance with me for some stupid contest."

"First of all, you didn’t force me. Second, I’ll do my best to make things change and ... I will speak with my father and Noctis, they’ll be willing to help if they realize what's going on beyond the surface!" she replied, her cheeks burning because of the conviction of her words. Everything in her shined so truly; the passion and the honesty were gasoline for her courageous soul. Nyx looked at her, just amazed by how naive yet beautiful she really was.

“I've never known someone like you,” he admitted. "You look at the world like you can change it and make it a better place."

"As you said, I’m the Princess of Lucis. I must believe the world can change."

"It takes a lot of guts to do it,” he replied. ”You're brave. It looks like you're not scared of anything."

"I am scared of everything! I am scared of failure, I am scared of what I could do, of what I did and, and ..." Her entire body trembled in anticipation because of the adrenaline running through her veins, while her voice cracked before gaining the courage to speak what she was really thinking, her guilty admission, "Most of all I’m scared of walking out of this room and never feeling for the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I’m with you!"

After such a scream, the silence fell like iron between them. The tv buzzed in the background.

Echoing inside his chest like a torment, fear was the first feeling Nyx was able to sense once his rationality came back. He knew he was screwed. If Lunafreya was really confessing her true sentiments and not only joking around, he was so screwed. There was no way a Princess could feel that way for a Glaive, not in this world nor in another. He shouldn't have allowed it. Yet he stood still, watching her, enchanted by her perfect face, by the sound of those surreal words echoing in his ears.

Luna swallowed and waited for his reaction, understanding clearly to what she was exposing herself with such an admission. A refusal would have killed her at that point, but it was too late to take back what she had confessed and all that remained for her to do was wait. Her heart started to beat so fast she could barely avoid to have a heart attack.

In that very moment, the music program on the tv announced the start of a new video and the first notes where introduced. Like the record wanted, the song was a Galahdian one, yet with a slower rhythm. It was like someone took the tribal song they used to dance and deleted the hysterical drums from it, replacing them with a softer tambour. This was a sweet song, a ballad. The singer started to voice out how much she missed her distant lover.

Luna shyly gazed at Nyx, noticing how uneasy the whole situation made him feel. The same was for her too actually, so she chose to ease the burden and alleviate the drama in the only way they both knew.

"Dance with me,” she whispered, as she slowly stepped ahead, reaching for his hand.

Nyx gulped and looked surprised. "Here?" Luna tried to smile as she raised his hand to her lips, kissing his fingers with an alluring tenderness.

"Here."

Her blues were glowing at the soft light of the room, being the perfect diamonds against her ivory skin. Such a pureness belonged to goddesses, to fairies and to sirens, not humans. Maybe she really was one of those and Nyx couldn't help but to fall under her spell. He felt every single fiber in his body reclaiming the chance of touching her like he had so many times already, but slightly differently now.

So he reached for her lower back, pushing her against him, giving in to his basic instinct.

Luna kept lifting her chin, so that their lips were extremely close. His masculine smell and her fruity one mixed, creating a new sensational scent. Theirs.

Luna let her finger wander from his wrists to his shoulder, slowly, delicately, leaving a shiver behind. Then she started to follow the rhythm, closing her eyes and letting him taking the lead, as always.

Her moving hips turned Nyx on like they never had before. He immediately rested his fingers on them, not able to stop the rush he felt in his veins. Swallowing hard, he understood he wouldn't be able to resist much longer. He wanted her so badly. He leaned down, sinking the nose in her hair, pressing the lips on her neck. Luna held on to his shoulders instead and kept dancing, letting her entire back fall backward, while Nyx kissed her collarbone then the space between her breasts under the sweater. It was the first time he did it and it felt like paradise. She fitted him so perfectly, their bodies were like two pieces of a puzzle, entwining into each other.

"Princess ..." he whispered in her ear as she came back to him again, but she didn't listen to his plea. She just abandoned his arms for a short time to turn around his body, moving slowly, touching the muscles on his back, feeling them tend nervously under the t-shirt. She finally acknowledged the power she had on him: she had a Glaive on his knees and he would have done everything for her now. He wasn't the one taking the lead anymore: It was her. The discovery lit her senses and gave her strength, so she moved until she could face him again.

They weren’t even dancing anymore. They were just getting lost in each other.

"I want you, Nyx,” she whispered when their foreheads touched. He sighed deeply, trying to find some self control again.

"You ... would regret it."

"No."

“Yes," he admitted. In spite of his words, he decided to pull her close again, lifting her knee and putting it around his hip. After a month of training, that position should have felt familiar for both of them — and in a way it was — but it became more than just that. They were desperately glued to each other, seeking a way to touch their bodies without crossing the line. It was like playing with fire in the vain attempt to not get burned.

Luna stretched until he forced him to kiss her neck again and encouraged him by sinking her fingers in his hair, greedily touching his jaw. It was safe to say she was all but climbing on him by now.

"I won't leave if I don't get your kiss." Nyx bit delicately the soft skin on her throat, causing her to moan, and opened his way to her lips. There he stopped, blinded by the desire.

"You'd be lucky if you'll leave with only that,” he murmured. And he kissed her soft lips, breathing her in.

\----------

Luna kept looking at the clock, impatient.

When someone finally knocked, Luna immediately jumped up and gave the permission of coming in. Exactly like she expected, her favorite Glaive entered, greeting her with a military salute and a half smirk.

In the morning daylight, Nyx had a different look. He was a man of the night, made to appear breathtaking and wild in the shadows, but when the sun came up, his skin got pale and somehow less magical, yet more genuine and human. Luna couldn't help but recognize that both versions made her heartbeat increase.

"Hi ..." she whispered, looking like an idiot in the center of her royal and huge white room.

Nyx wasn't in better condition, but at least he managed to put together more than just one syllable. "Good morning, your Highness."

They both silenced for a minute, trying to face the fact that everything changed between them in the strangest way. The feeling they were victims to was something new and exciting, surely forbidden and inappropriate, but at least they stopped denying its existence. They needed to talk about it, to understand how to handle it, but not now. Now they just wanted to get lost in it without any obstacle and enjoy the sense of momentary freedom.

"I, uhm, should escort you to your first morning meeting."

"You don't say,” Luna commented, wondering who did he pay to be in charge of her security that morning.

Nyx smirked. "Pelna is waiting outside,” he specified, to make clear that they wouldn't be alone.

"Let's go then."

“Princess, yesterday—”

"Nyx. Let’s go” she said, cutting him off with a gentle and lovely smile.

Nyx sighed, starry eyes glued to her angelic face, wondering how he ended up in such a mess. He wouldn’t come out of it undamaged, and neither would she. Luna reassured him by passing next to him and delicately touching his fingers with a shy smile. She looked so innocent and naive that Nyx could hardly believe she was the same person that the night before seduced him into a relationship that would no doubt be the end of him.

When they left the Princess' room, they found Pelna in the elegant corridors made of black and white marble, a bizarre picture frame for Galahdian people like them.

"Princess." He bowed.

"How's Crowe?" Luna asked him as they walked, causing a violent blush to darken his cheeks.

"Why are you asking me, Your Highness?" Pelna got fluttered at the only mention of the brunette.

"Because I figured you wouldn't have lost her,” Luna casually answered, deciding to let the conversation go as she noticed the embarrassment on the Glaive's face. “Never mind. What’s the Kingsglaive’s schedule for next week? Other than the treaty ceremony on the rooftop of my father’s hotels, of course.” That event began to be organized as soon as Nifelheim decided to agree with Lucis’ attempts of peace and King Regis was very worried about it. He asked to Lunafreya — his only precious and wise daughter — to take care of invitations and entertainment. The security part was under Ravus’ control, so Luna still didn’t know how many Crownsguard and Glaives would be present.

“Captain Drautos and Prince Ravus are still arranging the details, but I guess we’ll be arrayed near the royal family.”

Luna blinked at Nyx then, finding his expression totally absorbed by her presence. She wondered if he would be present to the ceremony too, or in the case that they won, if he would have fled from Insomnia as soon as possible, leaving her behind. She didn’t want to lose him now that he was hers and suddenly hated the idea of winning the dance contest. She tried to suffocate those dark thoughts by remembering he was an amazing man who deserved to make whatever decision he wanted, yet a subtle malaise stayed there, making her fear grow in her stomach. Along with a similar dread, she felt an urge inside her bones, an urge that only he ever instigated in her, a desire which was similar to a need.

"Oh, I forgot the phone in my room!" she said as soon as they arrived downstairs to the hall.

Nyx and Pelna looked at each other, one perfectly knowing what was going on, the other completely naive and still distracted by Crowe's image in his mind.

"I'll stay with the Princess,” Nyx offered, acting his part so that Pelna didn’t notice.

"Ok, I'll go grab the phone. I’ll be right back."

In the very moment when Pelna disappeared from the hall, Nyx pulled the Princess through a smaller door in the corner, not caring if he didn't know exactly what was the place was for. Luna recognized the chamber instead: it was a standard one, used for receiving guests. It was small and it would be perfect for the next five minutes.

They barely looked around to check if they really were alone before finally smashing their lips together, half laughing and half seeking a way to alleviate the stress of being parted. Luna put the arms around his neck, stood on the tip toes and arched her back to welcome the passion of his kiss. The fear of seeing him leaving from Insomnia was momentarily shelved to make space to a more beautiful kind of fear: the one of letting herself go.

"So now we're this,” Nyx commented, barely able to breathe with her lips on his. “I shouldn’t have let you drag me into this.”

“You really want to use your breath to complain?” she smiled, distancing herself and looking at him in the eye. Nyx’s expression sweetened.

“I wasn’t complaining, sorry for giving you the wrong impression.” He smiled, caressing her cheek and kissing her slowly this time. His entire face was the portrait of bliss. “Still, I shouldn’t have let you drag me into this. I shouldn’t have accepted your offer to take Crowe’s place and I shouldn’t have fallen at your feet so damn easily.”

Luna welcomed his tenderness and moments of truth but immediately tried to begin the kissing again. She moved his hands from her waist to her legs, indicating where she wanted to be touched. Nyx didn't oppose and just lifted her body up, pushing her against the wall and kissing her mouth and chin. "Pelna is good in finding things. He’ll be back in a minute with your phone."

“He can't find things that are just not there,” Luna moaned, as he moved his lips to her neck. "I never had a phone."

Nyx's smile enlarged. "Ok, this means we have at least three minutes?" Luna sank her fingers into his hair and adjusted herself so she could kiss the Glaive back. If she didn't know the shape of his body perfectly after one month of hard training, she wouldn’t have been able to stay balanced in such a complicated position. She snuck her little hand underneath his jacket, touching the muscle of his chest, his neck, his shoulders, while she used the other hand to hold on.

"Nyx ..." Her whisper was so delicious when it reached his ear. Nyx couldn't help but taste her more with his tongue. "Will we continue this later?"

"Later when?" Nyx's mind was so blurry by the fire burning inside him he couldn't remember.

"At our usual training session,” Luna snorted in a laugh. It took awhile to the Glaive to remember.

"No, later we really gotta work hard. And this ..." His eyes in hers were melted silver. "This is a distraction."

"It is,” Luna agreed.

"We have the finale tomorrow. We gotta focus on priorities. No time for romance."

For someone who always forced himself into hard training and concealed emotions, he infringed on his own rules pretty often. This time would have been the same story all over again.

Out of a sudden, a voice called out for them from the main room.

"Damn, Pelna’s back already." Nyx put Luna down again and she reluctantly adjusted the skirt he lifted. "You're so beautiful,” he commented then, looking at her like she was the eighth marvel of the world and adjusting a braid on her forehead. The compliment made Luna's eyes glow.

"Let me talk with Pelna; he won't suspect anything."

Nyx knew from experience how good she was in enchanting people and to bend them to her will, so he didn't protest. He just followed her out of the small room, certain than Pelna wouldn’t know.

What neither of them noticed was another small door in a corner, a door involuntarily left half open. Tredd Furia stepped ahead, biting his lip to hide a mischievous smirk which seemed to promise the wittiest evil.

\---------

Like it was easy to foresee, keeping to the training like nothing happened became pretty impossible. Now that they discovered the flavor of each other's lips, dancing so close without kissing each other was ridiculously complicated, especially since they were alone in the entire theater.

In spite of this, they managed at least to refresh the moves and try the choreography a couple of times.

And more important than anything, they accurately avoided to talk about the future. Neither of them were ready for such a conversation now. They kept saying to each other that focusing on the contest was all that mattered and so they did. Winning was the priority. However, as Nyx watched the Princess putting her shoes on after training, he understood he already won something way better than a dance competition's prize: he had those moments with her, unrepeatable moments where she really seemed to care and yearn for him. It didn't matter if it was just a lie, it didn't matter if it would be over soon. They were together now. Luna caught him staring and smiled back.

Nyx took her by the hand, pulling her out of the theater where they trained over the past several weeks. They decided to leave a bit earlier that night so they would have the time to get some rest before the finale.

When they entered in the car, anyway, Nyx's ear device started to ring and he answered. "Crowe? What's happening?"

"Where the hell are you?"

"I was training."

"Is the Princess with you?" Nyx didn't like her tone.

"Yeah, but what's wrong?"

“King Regis met with Captain Drautos. And it looks like you’re the topic of the conversation.”

Nyx wide opened his eyes and then slowly turned towards Luna, looking at her like his dreams — and his entire life — were instantly crushed in front of him for the second time, while he helplessly fell at its feet.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Princess Lunafreya Lucis Caelum - the daughter of Regis Lucis Caelum and Sylva Nox Fleuret and the sister of Ravus and Noctis - is a very good mannered, intelligent, innocent and curios young girl. She sneaks out of Insomnia’s palace to join the Glaives in the slums, only to find Nyx and Crowe enjoying their hours of freedom by dancing senseless some galahdian dances in front of hundreds of people.   
> When Crowe gets badly injured during her guard duty, Nyx needs to find a good partner before the dance competition of next month. That may be the hardest thing to find in Insomnia.   
> Until Luna offers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter for this fic. Thanks to @loveiscosmicsin, what would I do without your editing skills <3
> 
> The thing turned out being a bit deeper than I originally expected, since I had to use the immigrant and prejudice tropes. And ok, Regis is a bit off character (just a bit though) because I had to adapt his personality to the one of Baby’s father in the movie. But, hey! You 90′s kids will recognize some quotes from “dirty dancing”, hope you’re gonna enjoy them xD 
> 
> \+ this family <3 It’s so perfect. Regis, Sylva, Ravus, Luna, Noctis. I love the idea of them all forming the Caelum family. I loved the Ravus-Luna-Noctis sibilings relationship, I loved to write it and .... who knows, it may not be the last time ;) 
> 
> THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading this fic until the end :3
> 
>  
> 
> PS: Yes, I started the last chapter of the “See Luna safe to Altissia” if you wondered. Just be ... patient with it. I’m on my way. I promise.

Nyx ran ahead on the stairs of the palace while Luna followed him closely. There was visceral urgency and panic in both their expressions but they didn’t have the strength to speak a single word in the attempt of calming down. 

If King Regis discovered them, it was over. Not only their little love affair, but everything. The training, the contest, the hopes of going back to Galahd, the short happiness of being together… Everything was over. 

In the bottom of their hearts, they knew it would happen, but they couldn’t believe it would be so soon.

Thinking over and over about this, they reached the hall before the throne room, where a couple of Crownsguards were gathered. Luna recognized Clarus and Gladiolus Amicitia sporting a disapproving look on their faces as they saw Nyx was with her. Such a usual thing was able to alarm her, making her fear for the worst.

“Where’s my father?” The princess asked, pushing back her shoulders to appear if not strong then at least mannered. 

“Inside with the captain,” the two Shields answered in unison and as soon as they did, the huge door opened, revealing Noctis, his taut expression hard to avoid. 

“Luna,” he whispered, almost relieved. “You better come inside.” The prince glanced at the Glaive, exhibiting a nod. “You’re the only one who can protect him from this mess.” 

Nyx didn’t want to let Luna face her father alone, so he accompanied her inside, knowing from the start he wouldn’t be able to put up a defense anyway. King Regis was a very determined man who probably already had opinions, ideas, and a course of actions about the fact. He wouldn’t have bent easily to whatever their plea would have been. But at least, Nyx owed his presence to Luna. She was risking the most for him after all.

When they entered the throne room, only the sound of their steps on the marble accompanied them along. That place always put Nyx in a certain state of uneasiness because of its high ceiling and huge windows. It was somehow disorienting, Nyx couldn’t help but sense he was not welcomed there. With King Regis austerely sit on the grandoise throne, the entire room got blindly sparkling and majestic, so much that the Glaive felt guilty and thought he was getting close to something like his final judgment.   
Thanks to the Astrals, Luna didn’t feel the same constraint, so she was able to answer when Regis called her name.

“Lunafreya. And… Nyx Ulric.” 

“Father. What’s going on?”

Luna stepped ahead with elegance and certitude, her white dress floating as she moved. She seemed so distant, too, belonging to an ethereal world of which Nyx couldn’t ever be part of. 

Titus Drautos was kneeled on the long red carpet in front of the throne, appearing unexpectedly humble for a man of his size. He was the one who commanded the conversation and explained things, glancing at Nyx harshly as soon as he noticed him arriving along with the princess.

“Anonymous sources revealed that Sir Ulric is participating in a slum contest and lied about the identity of his partner in the hope of quitting the order. All this puts us all in great shame and must be prohibited immediately.”

Even if Luna noticed immediately that the accusation was different from what she expected it to be and that her father could still not know about her secret love affair with the Glaive, she felt a vortex of anger and confusion swirling inside her chest. She would have gladly slap Drautos himself on his lordly face, but she stood still instead, trying to rein in her feelings. To make sure to keep control on the tone of the conversation, she tried the reason card. 

“I didn’t know such a thing was forbidden, Captain. What a Glaive does with his personal life outside duty is his choice.” 

“I fear it’s not, my dear,” Regis intervened with his gentle yet condoning voice. His eyes glowed of a fierce fire Luna rarely saw. “Sir Ulric is not a novice. He’s often in charge with the royal family’s security and cannot be one despising his role to besmirch the order.”

“Dancing is not forbidden by the sacred oath.” Luna continued, talking slower this time, certain that the subject was worse than quicksand to escape unscathed. 

She really wanted to underline Drautos’ restrictive ignorance on that matter, even if she knew what both him and her father actually wanted to insinuate: the Kingsglaive was an institution formed by immigrant Glaives with special gifts that even if useful for the entire kingdom, always caused controversial discussions. The immigrants accounted for most of the Crown City’s population and tensions were already unsteady between them and “purist” citizens. Like Nyx said more than once, a similar prejudice caused the freedom to almost all the Glaives, who weren’t allowed to ‘sully’ the order’s reputation in any possible way. On this line of thoughts, participating to a Galahdian dance contest may have been considered scandalous, especially with Nyx’s reputation. It was just a custom, written incomprehensively, and nearly uncontested for now, and yet, it was still a law.

Luna was aware of all this. She was swimming in a vicious circle of discrimination and duties since she was a child and knew how close-minded high society had become when it was about the immigrants’ duties.  
It may also mean that if Luna used the wrong words in front of the king, Nyx’s future would have been irremediably compromised. 

“What do you plan to do anyway? Banish him from the kingdom because he likes to dance? In that case, you’ll have to do the same for the entire Kingsglaive because almost every single one of them has spent their time in the same way Nyx Ulric does.”

Regis looked at Luna, critical and stern. He glanced at Nyx, too, who stood in silence next to Noctis at the beginning of the hall, waiting for the right moment to intervene. 

“Why are you defending Nyx Ulric, Lunafreya?” Regis simply asked. “You rushed here as soon as you heard we were discussing about him.” 

Luna shivered and swallowed, realizing only now that from an outsider’s point of view, it was hard to justify a princess’s armed defense in such an irrelevant subject like the Glaives’ fate. Again, she tried to keep calm, but things grew increasingly complicated.

“Sir Ulric is a loyal soldier. After the car accident - in which he personally risked his own life to save me - he took Lady Crowe’s place as my bodyguard. Why shouldn’t I speak in his favor?” 

“Because the anonymous sources don’t report about him only.” Regis announced, a deeper voice and an angry spark flashed in his eyes. Luna felt her heart falling apart and she couldn’t even turn to seek for Nyx’s or Noct’s support. It was just her and Regis’ disappointment now, nothing else and everyone was to witness the disaster.

“Do you… prefer to trust the word of men without proof? Without credibility?” That question spurted a grimace on the King’s face.

“Trust. Lunafreya, do you really wish to choose this word to start your argument?” No, she didn’t want to. Yet, she did.

And in the exact moment when Luna understood everything was lost and that she was beaten in a game in which her father was more experienced in, she abandoned her strong façade to hope for some forgiveness. 

“Father, please…” 

“Captain Drautos and I were discussing about the swift punishment reserved to Nyx Ulric when I realized that your unusual temperament had a connection to this. So now tell me, how long have you been protecting him?”

“Protecting what exactly? His personal affairs?”

“His double life. In the Kingsglaive, we cannot welcome people who are not fully aware of the position they must uphold.”

Luna’s forehead furrowed at the horrible sound those words had. She always looked at her father like a model figure of mercy and wisdom and felt her heart breaking when in that moment she didn’t recognize him anymore. Jokes on her for not remembering that he was the king of the people who basically stole the freedom to the immigrants like Nyx.

“Father, these people are our subordinates and subjects, but slaves aren’t who they are.” Her voice was incredibly calm for someone so angry. “You can’t decide what hobby they have outside their livelihoods. You can’t control their need of space and dignity. As a king, you have to guarantee the freedom of choice.” 

“You know not what you speak of. You were not here when the first immigrants sought refuge in our city. At that time, your grandfather dealt with the confusion, unemployment, crime rates, and a terrible epidemic thought to be no cure for. Immigrants are not simply human, they’re degenerates. I spent my entire life building a safe place like Insomnia and peace came with a price. I welcomed the sons and daughters of Galahd with open arms and offered them a new purpose, warm homes, and the opportunity to go on living so long as they pledge fealty to the Crown and its legislation.”

“And participating to a dance contest meant disrupts the rules?” 

“The indecency of it defies the core of our foundation, so yes. Lying and wishing to resign from the order without forewarning is another offense I do not take lightly.”

Luna lost her composure in the end and raised her voice, “You are the one who knows not what he speaks of, Father! That kind of dance is part of their culture. To deny them of it is denying their heritage. They shouldn’t be considered criminals for wanting to celebrate their traditions!” 

“Lunafreya,” Regis’ tone was unyielding and cold, foreboding, “cease raising your voice immediately.”

But Luna didn’t. “Crowe’s terribly injured because a simple escort mission in which I almost was killed. These people you call immigrants are risking their lives for every one of us and still you think they don’t have the right to try to win a competition which will finally give them enough money to go back to their homeland to start the life they really wish for?”

“That’s enough. I beg you to step aside and let us discuss the terms of the punishment. You know not all the details of the whole situation, Lunafreya.”

“Yes, I do!” She yelled before she realized where the conversation was going. Regis turned clearly puzzled at such an exclamation.

“And how would you supposed to know?”

In the moment when Luna closed fists and raised her chin, Nyx stepped slightly forward like he was able to read by her body language what she was about to say. But it was too late to stop her. 

“Because I was the one on stage with him!” She declared.

A thick silence cloaked the throne room to the point that it was nearly deafening.

————-

Luna glanced at her father’s visage, a mere shadow against the starry background of the night sky. He was on the balcony, looking down at the Insomnia’s city lights, which at that hour, was a hypnotizing sight. 

Since Luna was a child, she learned that when he retired for the balcony, he really shouldn’t have been disturbed. It meant he was upset. It meant she was in trouble. 

So, Luna simply waited, biting her nails to the quick and thinking of what she had done and how she got into that situation. 

She thought of Nyx, of course. The last glance they shared was of desperation and resignation.   
After Luna’s impulsive admission, King Regis didn’t have other choice but banish him from the city with a shocked voice. In the end, Nyx got what he wanted: he would have return to Galahd soon. But his face when he heard Regis’ decision wasn’t the one of a freed man: it was the one bound to a life sentence and an undeserved cruelty it was.

At the same time, both he and Luna knew it would have happened eventually and there was nothing they could do to avoid it. The pain appeared in their eyes only because they both hoped it would have lasted longer, have more time.

Now Luna looked at her father from the distance for the hundredth time and sighed when she realized he wasn’t intentioned to speak to her at all. All she was asking was the chance to explain herself, but the king wouldn’t bend to reason. 

The very idea of having disappointed him so much that he turned against her, made Luna’s heart twist and ache. She knew that her father always doted on her and never would expect her to be the one who would have dared to go this far. 

“Luna…”

Noctis’ voice was sweet when he approached her. He sat next to her on the sofa. Luna felt tears sting her eyes, but she violently bit her lips to prevent them from falling. “You should go to your room. Dad won’t speak with anyone but himself tonight.” Saying so, the brother hugged her, and Luna leaned into his embrace.

If nothing would have gone right, she knew that at least Noctis would always be by her side. Even if he didn’t understand. Even if he didn’t agree. The bond of blood between them surpassed rationality’s limit. 

“Where’s Nyx?” She demanded, revealing where her heart truly resided in all that anxiety. 

“Packing his things, I guess. He’s leaving tomorrow.” 

Luna closed the fists, trapping Noct’s shirt inside her subtle and delicate fingers. “Tomorrow night’s the dancing finale…” 

The prince shook his head, sincerely sorry for the sister’s broken dreams, but also very pragmatic. “Don’t think about it. That future’s gone.” He paused, putting a lot of effort in the attempt to sound neutral when he said, “Nyx Ulric is gone.” 

Luna stared in the distance for what felt like an eternity.

When a tear crossed her cheek, she felt her heart going hollow. 

“I really… liked him, Noctis.”

The prince put both the arms around her and pulled her closer to give her all the comfort he could offer. “I figured it.”

“He’s just a beautiful person, not at all like our father thinks. He’s brave, skilled, gentle, funny and–” Noctis shushed her but Luna didn’t stop. Their exchange were only whispers in the dark. “When I dance with him, I feel so alive. I feel… like I never did before. I just wish that Father would try to understand…”

What Luna didn’t notice because of her silent sobs was that in the meantime Regis came back to the threshold, eavesdropping his children’s conversation. He observed them for a minute with an emotionless mask and then just went on his way.

————

Luna didn’t care if she was grounded. She was a big girl and thought she was over juvenile punishments. If she wanted to say goodbye, nothing would have prevented her from doing that. As soon as the sun came out, she sneaked out of the palace, ready to walk to the slums with her own feet, since nobody would have offer her a ride. The walk was arduous, and Luna watched her back for the whole time, fearing that the Crownsguard would have come after her.

But she had to have faith in Noctis, knowing that he would have procured a plausible story for all the time necessary to commit herself to this. So, she ran, hoping to arrive in time. 

She did. 

The Glaives’ building appeared somehow darker in the morning light. Luna sneaked in unnoticed, while her own instinct was suggesting her where to go in that maze of corridors and apartments. When she arrived at Nyx’s place, she found the door open. Libertus and Crowe were sitting on the sofa with their broken legs laid across a coffee table, engaged in restrained small talk. Pelna was preparing Ebony. They all looked like they were about to participate in a funeral. 

“Princess?” Crowe recognized her immediately as she entered, no matter how well Luna was disguised.

“Where’s Nyx?” 

Pelna sighed, holding up two steaming mugs. “On the rooftop. He asked for time alone.”

Luna didn’t need to hear anything more. She turned heels and tried to walk outside. Crowe tried to stop her by saying: 

“That no good son of a bitch, Tredd sold Nyx out, Princess. He told the Captain about the contest to get rid of the competition. He also discovered your relationship with Nyx and when–” 

But Luna didn’t stay to listen. She just didn’t care who betrayed them and how he got punished. She went straight to the elevator, pushing the last floor’s button, a vortex of confusing feelings raising from her stomach to her throat. 

The dawn kissed the locks of her ponytail as soon as she stepped out the elevator, indicating she reached the top of the building. Ignoring how beautiful the landscape of the sun illuminating Insomnia was, she immediately looked around, searching for him. The heart was beating so hard she could hear it thunder in her own ears. 

“Princess.” 

His voice reached her before his presence did. It had surprised her but in a way, it was normal. It sounded resigned and slightly amused. 

In fact, when Luna turned around to face him, he was smirking.

“I just knew you would have come even at cost of sneaking out of the palace for the hundredth time. Damn, you’re stubborn. Really untamable.” Despite the choice of words, he looked crazily proud of her. 

Luna admired his high figure, making contrast against the rays of dawn. Hands in his pocket, standing in a simple set of black t-shirt and matching trousers - not the leather ones of the Kingsglaive uniform though because probably they took it away from him, too. His arms were crossed over his chest and his muscles tensed and flexed ever so slightly, insanely in perfect shape, the veins under his skin, the scars of battle, the atypical collection of tattoos. Luna kissed that man only the day before, but she felt like she hadn’t in ages and the need of it was something disorientating. What would she have done when he was erased from her life?

“Nyx, I’m so sorry,” She whispered so lightly that she wondered if he would have been able to hear her. But he knew her well by now and was able to understand her even in the deepest silence. He just shook his head. 

“We both should’ve known, right?”

Yes, they should have. Yet, they could not stop.

“What are you going to do now?” She asked then. That was the hardest question and Nyx didn’t know how to answer.

“It’s complicated. But well. I’m going back home at least?” His lazy grin cracked with the pain of uncertainty and that made Luna’s heart cringe. 

“Oh, Nyx…”

“The captain paid for my flight ticket. The rest of the guys made sure I can survive the first couple days until I find a job. If I run out of money before that, I’ll think about something. It’ll work out.” As Luna opened her mouth, he quickly interrupted her. “I don’t want your money.” 

Luna closed her lips but curved them into a soft smile. It was annoying but also pleasant to notice how the Glaive was able to learn to read her mind in so little time. She couldn’t help but wonder what would have they become if they had more of it. Luna stepped ahead, coy and small compared to him. 

“I won’t sleep well at night thinking about you, alone over there…” 

“Yeah, alone into the wild, stealing coconuts, drinking river water and homeless. It’ll be a step from the sewer water, that’s for sure.” 

“Don’t tease me, Nyx, I’m really worried. You deserve to win the contest, to receive your money, to go back to Galahd, and start the best life ever. You don’t deserve what you’re getting.”

Even if he wanted to act like he didn’t care, Nyx was seriously worried, too. Galahd was uncharted territory, overgrown and lush after being abandoned by Niflheim. Only few people decided to stay despite everything and their conditions were clearly miserable since they had to fight with poverty, famine, and daemons on daily basis. Going back with no money meant to go back to no future, he knew it well. He would have been lucky if he would have survived the first months. 

“I’ll handle it.” He repeated, this time more like he wanted to convince himself first. 

Luna crumbled. She saw him happy, angry, excited, frustrated, determined, and under all those facets, he had a huge impact on her. But it was only when she saw him sad like in that moment that her heart really ached. She just couldn’t help but to step forward and throw the arms around his neck, pulling him close, forcing him to her small stature. He gladly let her do this because underneath the strong appearance, he only wanted to melt in her embrace. 

“I don’t want you to go,” she whispered, sinking her nose in his braids, inhaling the scent of wood she grew familiar with. 

“Oh, my sweet, sweet little princess…” He mocked, hugging her with such a strength he almost crushed her. There was love in the tone of voice he chose, combined with a lot of sadness and resignation. 

“I just can’t imagine waking up again and not seeing you, coming to pick me up in your Kingsglaive’s uniform.” 

Nyx affectionately smiled at how sad and sulky those words sounded and lifted her from the ground to watch her straight in the eyes, where he could find indeed sorrow and desperation. What did he do to her, he wondered. How could he get her to love him so much in so little time?

He didn’t know.

He just acknowledged it was reciprocated.

He kissed her, barely offering all the tenderness she deserved, consuming her lips with his insistent and sweet touch. She held to him with all her strength, trying to imprint every detail in her mind, fearing and knowing that was probably the last time. 

“What are we going to do now?” She asked when they finally interrupted the kiss to breathe. Nyx rested his forehead on hers. 

“I can’t avoid banishment. And you can’t rebel against your father. I’m just an immigrant. You’re a princess. I guess we never had a lot of choices.”

“So, is this goodbye?” She cried. 

Nyx didn’t have the courage to answer to that question. He kissed her nose, her eyelids and her forehead before whispering, “I won’t forget you, Princess. I never had something so precious like you and I want to thank you. You’re also a great dancer. Don’t give up on that.”

“I won’t ever forget you either,” she replied after a while, trying to smile. It was harder than she expected. “You taught me so much. I had the time of life with you. Being with you sparked something in me that I never felt before.” 

Those were their goodbyes indeed and they both knew. Nyx kissed her again, caressing her cheeks and hair and he finally put her down. He indulged another minute and then abandoned her warm arms, heading himself to the exit. 

He left her alone on the rooftop, alone to cry, watching as the beautiful dawn turned into morning light, illuminating one of the worst days of her life.

———–

Luna was staring out of the window for at least two hours now. She had fell into a sort of comatose silence and really didn’t want to participate to any social activity. However, the treaty’s ceremony wouldn’t wait for her to cheer up and Lucis couldn’t afford to have a missing princess in such an important event. 

Time was running out and Noctis sensed that he wouldn’t be able to help her like he wished to. So, he had the great idea to send their mother to speak with her, insinuating that “these were girls’ things” and he couldn’t do otherwise.

When Sylva knocked at the door and entered, she found the daughter exactly where Noctis said, sitting on the couch, staring at the nothing, giving no sign of a reaction of the queen’s entry. The woman sighed.

“Darling,” The mother’s touch was able to wake Luna up from her eyes opened sleep but couldn’t do a lot against her numbness. The princess barely acknowledged Sylva’s eyes and already felt exhausted. “The ceremony starts in a couple hours. You have to make ready.” 

The sensibility of a mother was able to reach areas of the heart of a daughter that nobody else would usually dared to explore. In just one look, Sylva spotted what her husband decided to ignore because of the fear of losing her.

The queen sweetly smiled, caressing Luna’s cheek. She couldn’t do a lot to cure her broken heart, but she could at least try to distract her from her pain. 

“I’ll fix your hair and I’ll do your make up, so you will be the most beautiful of the entire kingdom. Or maybe…” Sylva hesitated, moved by the daughter’s sadness. “Or maybe you won’t need make up. You already are beautiful the way you are.”

———–

Luna lifted the hem of her skirt, admiring the lively swish it did every time she moved. The girl had to admit that her dress was a pure piece of art though very simple and linear. She loved the material, the way it made her look lighter, sparkling and angelic. 

Nyx would have loved it too, because he was a practical man who appreciated dresses that would have allowed her to dance freely. He would have liked it also because it was easy to take off.   
But Nyx was on a train back to Galahd so he won’t be able to admire his princess with it on. They wouldn’t meet ever again. The finale of the contest happened the night before and since they didn’t dance for it, they wouldn’t have ever danced together again either.

So much was lost already.

Luna couldn’t help but feel empty. Beautiful, but empty.

In that moment when she was looking herself into a huge mirror located on a wall of the hall, Ravus appeared next to her. Being the eldest brother, he was the one in charge to enter along with her on the rooftop of the Caelum’s majestic hotels, where the treaty ceremony would have taken place. King Regis and Queen Sylva would have been the first, Noctis - being the heir to the throne - would have been the second. The protocol was well organized, and now it was time to follow it.

“We have to enter. Niflheim’s ambassadors and Aldercapt are here.”

Luna nodded at the brother’s word and he delicately pulled her by the hand, trying to hide a strange wrinkle on his forehead. 

His way to react to situations was always amusing to admire. In that specific case, he had been clearly informed by someone about the juicy gossip that happened between his sister and a Glaive and he clearly lost his nerve about it. Luna could notice it by the way his subordinates - especially the Glaives - buzzed far from him as soon as possible, which surely meant they all risked their lives under his rage already. After all, Luna knew that Ravus would have blamed everyone but his sister for the scandal that was born. In his mind, his sister was too pure and innocent to ever believe she was the one coming up with all the affair in the first place. No wonder he was ready to deploy forces and maybe also kill men only to protect Luna’s reputation. 

Luna didn’t dare to ruin him the unrealistic image he had of her.

“Shall we go, then?” Ravus asked and in that moment, a voice coming from who knows where announced their arrival on the microphone. Luna held to Ravus’ arm and together they exited on the beautiful terrace. 

Immediately they were both bombarded by flash photography and voices going off at once. Photographers and journalists acted their parts, asking to Ravus and Luna to pose for the cameras, and they did it, of course. It was their job. They were royalty.

When they were both done with journalists, the two siblings continued to walk on the red carpet where they had to speak for a couple of minutes with every important guest. 

In the meantime, Luna looked around. Even if she was the one having organized a big part of the ceremony, she was enchanted anyway by how perfect everything turned out. The night falling up Insomnia looked like dawn thanks to the lights situated everywhere on the terrace, which were powerful but also delicate. A huge aquarium, the principal attraction of the hotel, shined brightly over the richly dressed guests. Champagne and caviar were served by elegant waiters while a big orchestra played soft music from a higher platform, in which was where some other guests were slowly dancing and chatting, too. 

Everything was perfect indeed. 

Soon enough, Noctis came in their direction, dressed in the elegant black suit that somehow looked cumbersome on him. He joined the conversation, caressing Luna’s cheek in a delicate gesture and then kept talking like nothing happened.

Luna’s heart melted a bit, noticing with surprise how much her entire family was participating to her heartbreak. It was unexpected and almost touching. 

The three siblings met also Aldercapt in person but didn’t stay long to talk with him since the orchestra started to play and everyone wanted to sit to listen. Together with Ravus and Noctis, Luna reached for her parents, who were seated at one specific table situated on the top of the stairs. Feeling already tired, Luna decided to have a seat. From that position she was able to see everything from the perfect distance. It was then when she noticed a female Glaive standing in her nice uniform next the aquarium, side by side with another one. It was Crowe. Even if she still looked to be in pain, nothing prevented her from being on duty during such an important ceremony. Or maybe she came for the show since she was staring in awe at the artists exhibiting off on the dance floor.

Lunafreya wished to join her but someone stopped her. 

“Sit down, Lunafreya.” The peremptory order came from King Regis himself, who was sitting on a beautiful chair like a throne and wouldn’t have probably allowed her to mingle with the Glaives ever again.

After their last discussion, they still didn’t have the chance to speak with each other which didn’t make anything but intensifying the tension between the two.

Luna was trying her best to be compliant so she promptly obeyed, taking a seat in the corner of the table. She didn’t feel like being in the center of the attention, anyway.  
She enjoyed the atmosphere in the best way she could, trying not to regret of being there in the first place. 

An amazing singer dressed in black sang solo on the floor, used as a stage, right next the orchestra. The song was one Luna knew well since her childhood, it was titled “Somnus” and the ballad stood out like an anthem for the Kingdom of Lucis. For some reasons, the slow and melancholic melody almost brought Luna on the edge of tears. 

Suddenly, a woman’s voice interrupted her meditative thoughts. It was Crowe and it was calling the name of someone Luna cherished.

“Nyx, wait!”

The sound of that name lit a fire in Luna’s stomach of which she didn’t even try to contain the burst. The princess immediately turned around, eyes glowing of the peculiar fear of not seeing what she anticipated. But her heart knew better. 

In the middle of the crowd of well-dressed guests it had appeared a dissonant figure, a simple one in black shirt and black trousers, long Galahdian braids on the unusual haircut. The shape of his body was the one Luna would have recognized between thousands of similar ones because it was what she learned to love inch by inch during hours and hours of intense dance training.   
A smile immediately appeared on the princess’s face and noticing it, Sylva anticipated her next move fast enough to stop her.

“Wait, honey. Don’t move.” 

Saying so, she proved herself a wise queen because her husband was already standing up, tall and menacing, and if Luna would have moved now, the developments would probably have been disastrous. 

“Nyx Ulric?” Regis’ voice echoed in the air like the scary voice of a god and the orchestra immediately stop playing, confused by the unexpected king’s piercing disruption. Likewise, the guests started to murmur, turning around to understand what was happening. A couple of young Crownsguards - Ignis Scientia and Gladiolus Amicitia - got quickly closer in case they would spot a menace, but Noctis waved them to wait.

In the meantime, Nyx was opening his way into the crowd, pushing people aside and moving ahead, ignoring Crowe and Libertus’ warnings. He had spotted Luna and he was aiming straight at her, at cost of looking rude and insolent. When he arrived close enough to be considered intrusive, Regis pointed at him with his cane and ordered, “Guards! Arrest this man now.” 

Gladio and Ignis looked undecided to who they should obey, the King or their prince so in the meantime, Nyx took advantage of their confusion to get closer to Luna. He watched as the girl grabbed the chair in the attempt of avoiding jumping straight into his arms. The crease of her smile revealed her true feelings and Nyx legitimately thought he never saw a more beautiful creature than her that night, under those ceremonial lights. He decided that even just seeing her from the distance would have been worth the risk of ending his days in a dark dungeon.

“What are you doing here?” Ravus asked in an accusing tone very similar to Regis’. He addressed Nyx but unexpectedly, Noctis was the one answering.

“I called him,” the prince admitted, standing up and shrugging like he didn’t care. 

Regis turned to look at the son with mouth agape and literally lost color from his face. “You did what?”

“I don’t want to watch my sister stop eating and staring out of a window for the entire day. Say whatever you want, I just don’t think she deserves it. And the Glaive doesn’t either. Wasn’t he the hero of the Kingsglaive until three days ago? Are we gonna continue ignoring that now?”

“By offering him the princess on a silver plate?” Regis replied, scandalized by the son’s impulsive words.

“By letting them choose what future they want!” Noctis’ voice sounded incredibly determined and linear for a boy like him, used to staying still, almost indifferent to everything but videogames and fishing. His entire family looked straight at him, surprised by the outburst of his personality. Nobody surely expected it.

Luna didn’t complain though, on the contrary, she looked back at Nyx immediately, with her blues full of hopes and stars, and the man melted at that. 

“You’re too beautiful to stay still,” Nyx admitted and offered her his hand, smirking in relief. “Nobody puts the princess in a corner.”

At that point, Luna stop caring for formalities. She missed him in these days like the sea would have missed its shores and if he was ready to put his heart on risk, she would have, too. She took his hand, enjoying the pleasant sensation of his warm fingers in hers. Luna couldn’t know what was going on in his mind, but she didn’t bother to ask. She just followed Nyx while they moved through the crowd and headed to the dance floor next to the orchestra. He stopped, ignoring the murmurs, and focusing on the confused singer, to who he spoke to. 

Luna finally realized what it was going to happen when she saw the woman hesitantly giving up the microphone to Nyx. 

“Hey, hope everyone’s having a good time so far,” Nyx started as the microphone screeched. “If I can have a few moments of that time…” He tightened the hold around Luna’s fingers, glancing at her from time to time to make sure she wouldn’t have run away. 

The noisy crowd on the rooftop of the hotel completely shut up, wondering who was that guy and why was their princess with him. When they were invited to such a prestigious party, they expected a certain kind of protocol to be respected and wouldn’t ever imagine what was about to happen. In fact, a lot of them already thrilled when Nyx introduced himself.

“My name’s Nyx Ulric, I’m an immigrant from Galahd and up until a couple days ago, I used to be a member of the Kingsglaive. I’m sorry for interrupting your fancy party, but there’s something you all need to know, especially you people from Niflheim.”

King Regis was already calling the Crownsguards to order them to stop the intruder, but Noctis begged him to let Nyx talk first, hoping that what he would have said wouldn’t have complicated the political relationship with the opponent’s nation. Even if the situation was the most delicate on many levels, his hopes didn’t stay unfulfilled.

“When I was a teen, Galahd almost got wiped off the map because of the war. You all know how the story went. What happened then is a horror nobody of us really want to remember today during the peace’s ceremony, so I won’t mention the consequences of the trauma we immigrants went through and still going through. What I say is how hard life became here in Insomnia for each one of us in the last years. Every coin has two sides, and even if our lives were saved by the King’s generosity - something we all are grateful for - more subtle dynamic got activated in the background. The feeling of not belonging consumed us like a wood worm in the deep and the only way we had to attenuate it was to keep the memory of our homeland in our mind. We continued to use our Galahdian accent, we kept eating our food and… Even at cost of losing the unstable present we built here in Insomnia, we started to get together in the clubs of the slums, dancing our traditional dances. We wished to alleviate the homesickness and surprisingly enough, it worked. We had to keep it secret from our superiors though since they would never let that fly. I was sure no Lucian would have been able to understand what dancing meant to me… to all of us. Our dances aroused disdain all along, and I expected it to always be so. But when the Princess Lunafreya offered to replace my partner in a Galahdian dance contest organized in the slums, I learned something new.”

Nyx had the eyes of the entire crowd on him, but he was looking only at Luna and in that moment, the memories made him smile.

“I learned that some feelings are universal, that some people can overcome the barriers despite every personal prejudice, that dancing bring people together on the same level no matter if you are an immigrant or a king’s child.” Then he found the strength to move his eyes from Luna’s face to the public, which took him some effort since he looked really enchanted by her. “Long story short, we got found out and I was banished from the kingdom because of my inappropriate behavior. However, don’t make the mistake of thinking I came here because I hope that my banishment will be revoked. I deserved it. I dared to put my hands on the most beautiful jewel of the entire kingdom and the punishment is fair. Despite this, what I need you all to acknowledge is what kind of princess is going to represent you once this treaty is done. She is not a normal princess.” He smiled. “For the Astrals’ sake, I can’t be the only one who sees that.” Someone laughed too, but Luna couldn’t catch with the eyes who. Maybe some of the Glaives nearby. She promised to herself that she would investigate later. “But she will be a kind, understanding, and strong one. You’ll be lucky to be her subjects.”

And saying so, he nodded again and one Glaive - was it Pelna maybe? - rushed ahead, near a sort of machinery used to help the orchestra with the music. He worked on it for less than twenty seconds and in the meantime Nyx took Luna in the center of the dance floor. 

“You should probably take your shoes off,” he smiled, pointing at the super expensive ten-centimeter high heels Luna was standing on. The princess gasped.

“Nyx, are we really…? In front of the entire nation? It’s–” But the former Glaive interrupt her by moving his fingers in hers.

“Don’t you want to dance with me one last time?” 

That was a ridiculous question. Of course, she wanted to. A corner of her mind kept wondering if this was a good idea but at that point Luna voluntarily disconnected her mind and let her feelings take over. She took off her shoes and threw them at Crowe, who caught them promptly.

Spotlights flashed right upon the couple, photo reporters got in position, someone called for the princess’ name, others just moved aside to have a better view of what was going to happen.  
But all this didn’t matter because Luna couldn’t get her eyes off her only focus. 

“Don’t look at anything else but me. I’m your world right now,” Nyx whispered, caressing her cheek with the thumb and positioning himself right in front of her, glad to see her accepting the dance.

“You are, indeed,” she answered, smiling delicately and that affirmation didn’t need a lot of confirmations after all. Now that Luna felt him so close again, in fact, she was so relieved she easily forgot about the world around her. She stared at Nyx as he smiled back and touched her forehead with his and in that moment the music started. 

Luna immediately felt at ease again in the role of the dancer, alongside with the former Glaive; actually, she felt even better than she used to only a couple of days before. Maybe because she experimented on her own skin what meant to be without him, maybe she was just excited. She couldn’t tell. She just opened her heart and trusted him completely.

Nyx noticed the difference and welcomed it gladly. His hands immediately moved down, slowly touching the spots of her body he was more familiar with, her shoulders, her back, her hips. He would have paid a considerable amount of money to see King Regis’ face when he reached for her thighs too, but he didn’t allow himself to lose contact with his partner. He wouldn’t have for nothing in the world, because despite the spectators, he wanted to exclude everyone from that dance. 

It was just himself and Lunafreya.

Nobody else.

He leaned down, taking advantage of some slow dance’s moves to feel the woman’s body over him, to feel the warm of her skin, to feel every fiber of her reacting at his sensual and energetic touch.   
The song started like a ballad, sweet notes echoing into the utter silence created on the rooftop, so at the beginning Nyx just put one leg between hers and moved like he was cradle her. When the music changed the pace though, he immediately pushed her to spin with a quick impulse, guiding her into the increasing velocity of the dance. 

Knowing her body so well never felt so good now that Lunafreya wasn’t holding herself back at all. It was like a chemical reaction guided their moves, when he pushed, she pulled. It felt so easy and natural: one feet ahead, one behind, her leg on his hip, his torso steady like a pole while she gamboled around him. 

They distanced themselves a bit, quickly moving their feet at the beat, and immediately the entire crowd started to be involved in the show: they applauded following the rhythm and shaking their shoulders, someone also dared to sing the words of the song. Of course, this did nothing but pumping more adrenaline in Luna and Nyx’s veins.

Nyx knew he had the total control on her body like she had on his. In such a structured dance, where some moves could easily be defined dangerous, trusting each other was a matter of life and they had learned how to deal with it. In fact, when he raised her up until she was able to put a leg around his neck and spun around him with her head down, everyone almost screamed sensing the difficulty of such a stunt. But nor Nyx nor Luna seemed to be really worried about it. On the contrary, Luna moved like she had no bones and Nyx lifted her up like she didn’t weight anything at all. 

With a smile on their face, they held tight to each other and continued to swing smoothly, every inch of their bodies in contact, hungry eyes looking for each other’s, burning skins having goosebumps. 

“Where did she learn to do that?” Ravus asked - almost yelled - from the distance with his jaw dropping.

“I guess she really was attending a gym course after all.” Sylva whispered in response, hands covering her mouth, demonstrating the pride a mother could have in seeing the daughter dancing like an acrobat. 

The most upset one, though, was surely King Regis, who was holding to the table and to his cane like he wanted to jump ahead and incinerate the Glaive but also like he needed a moment to cry his fears out. His strong appearance was quickly crumbling down to leave space to a disorientated expression and it was not hard to notice that his weaker side - the one he used to hide behind the mask of just and inflexible king - was moved by the sight of the beloved daughter dancing like he never expected her to. Noctis appeared behind him and put a hand on his shoulder, like he wanted to reassure the father that those mixed feelings were natural but at the same time also not necessary. Lunafreya couldn’t be in safest hands. No matter how dangerous the stunts would have been, Nyx wouldn’t have never let her fall.

Like he somehow eavesdropped them in that moment, on the floor Nyx moved away from Lunafreya, raising his eyebrows in a nod. The princess understood immediately what he meant and if a small part of her felt uncertain and scared, the other part was thrilled at the idea. Now it was the better moment.

Now or never. 

Nyx opened his way through the crowd, keeping on dancing to the rhythm. 

Even if they didn’t come for the show, people were having fun seeing their princess in that unusual role and kept applauding to encourage the couple. The dance had unexpectedly created a special atmosphere, where also the most good-mannered aristocrats were dancing on the place, smiling and waiting for the next move.

The music increased. 

Luna watched Nyx as he positioned himself at a certain distance. Even from her location she was able to see how the lights of the party were illuminating his sweaty skin, the pulsing veins on his strong arms, his solid body. 

Suddenly, a whistle cut the air and a bang overtopped the sound of the music for a second. Luna had barely the chance to acknowledge that the fireworks had started, before her eyes and Nyx’s glued to each other. 

He smiled. 

And she knew she would have succeeded this time.

She started to run towards him, her bare feet on the cold marble floor, her muscles in tension, her nerves in harmony. 

He grabbed her waist and pulled her up in the air as soon as he was able to reach for her. He could literally feel her trusting him so much that he didn’t even struggle to find the right balance, it just happened naturally. Luna and Nyx’s shapes shined illuminated by the colorful fireworks as they performed the famous jump perfectly, keeping the perfect control on both their bodies and without falling. 

Crowe was the one screaming their names and starting the applause first, but everyone quickly followed, chanting demands of encores and showering the couple with outstanding ovations. All the guests from Niflheim and Lucis, all Glaives and all Crownsguards looked at the couple performing the stunt in awe. 

After a couple of amazing seconds, Luna let herself fall in Nyx’s arms, feeling every pore of her skin dilating to ignite joy and satisfaction. It would have been hard to explain her emotions in that moment since she never felt so good in her whole life, but Nyx seemed to understand perfectly anyway. He welcomed her in his embrace and looked at her like he wanted just to tell “I knew it.” He hugged her so tight he almost crushed her, but they kept laughing like kids as they continued to dance, slowing down the pace now to enjoy the happiness of the accomplishment.

In the meantime, Crowe had dragged Pelna and other Glaives into the dance, not caring if she still wasn’t in perfect shape. She just wouldn’t have lost the chance to shake her body a bit and Pelna didn’t wait for her to insist. Maybe that night he would have finally challenged his odds and make a move on her. Maybe. That night nothing seemed impossible after all.

The rest of the guests were invited to join the immigrants and even if some refused, others accepted and tried to imitate the moves in the better way they could right in the center of the dance floor and on the stairs. With the fireworks as background, the aristocratic celebration turned into an eventful party and the royal family couldn’t help with it anymore. Regis looked at Noctis like he was the one to blame for the mess, but the young man simply shrugged.

“C'mon, Dad, don’t be mad. Niffs seem to be having fun.” His excuse sounded lame but also true, since that from their position they could easily see the emperor Aldercapt moving his head to the beat. Nor Noctis nor Regis could have possibly hoped for a better - and unusual - reaction.

“Let’s pretend that a Lucian Princess dancing Galahdian dances with an immigrant Glaive is just a matter of Niflheim’s preferences,” the king commented, sarcastic as he never was but also slightly subdued.

However, Noctis spotted affection in his tone of voice. He knew that deep down, his father loved Luna so much he would have forgiven her for everything. 

“If that makes her happy…” Noctis smiled, turning to watch Luna and Nyx glued to each other as they kept on dancing. Regis did, too, and decided it was time to say something, so he got closer to the couple, opening his way in the middle of the dancing crowd with the only help of his own cane.

Nyx saw him arriving and his smile quickly faded away, anticipating the mess it was coming. He coughed, and Luna turned around too, holding his hand tight, ready to face the father and defend the Glaive if necessary, this time openly. 

A pleasant surprise waited for them both though because Regis was coming waving the white flag. His first move was to sigh and smile at the sight of his daughter getting defensive.

“I know you actually did nothing wrong, Nyx Ulric,” he started. “When I am wrong, I say I am wrong.” In his strong look it was hidden a deep guilt admission: he perfectly knew of having acted only guided by prejudices and fears. Behind the excuse of having to take hard decisions, he masked a man who was scared of losing control on the most delicate situations in the kingdom. And that was afraid of losing his beloved daughter too. “Luna, you have always been the most judicious of us all. You have an open mind and see beyond what is obvious. I should have remembered this when you said that this man was worth the risk of being disinherited.”

For the first time he smiled and this lightened both Luna and Nyx’s hearts. 

Regis lowered the eyes for a second and then raised them again towards his daughter. “You looked wonderful up there,” he admitted. 

Luna couldn’t hold back her emotions anymore and just sprinted ahead and hugged the father’s neck, enjoying the feeling of being finally in peace with him again. She didn’t say thank you, but it was implied in her kiss on the cheek and in her smile as she went back to Nyx to continue the dance.

“Yes, well, just be careful with those stunts, I beg you” Regis whispered to nobody in particularly when he remained alone in the middle of the dancing crowd. He stood there, elaborating the possible consequences of having a daughter dating a Galahdian immigrant and there Queen Sylva found him, murmuring something like, “She was the sane one left in the family, what are we going to do now?”   
Sylva smiled hearing it and offered him a hand to take him out of his daydream.

“My dear, shall we? For old times’ sake?” she asked, with the most allusive of the smirks.

Raising the eyebrows, she seemed to promise to keep the secret: nobody would have ever known that it was a dance what brought Regis Lucis Caelum to her feet, begging her to marry him. 

Maybe some tendencies were given in heritage as much as the color of the eyes or the shape of the chin, after all. Because that night, Nyx would have fallen to Luna’s feet so easily too, and what hold him back from asking her to marry him was the last remnant of his famous pride - or better said sanity.

“So, what now?” Luna asked to the Glaive a couple of minutes later, when they retired in a calmer terrace to watch the fireworks in peace. The music and the chatting crowd were still noisy, but where they were they could at least whisper without the fear of missing some words.   
They kept dancing no matter, aiming to get closer and closer to each other at every move. 

Nyx made Luna swirl and hugged her from behind, kissing her neck like he wanted to suck her blood from her veins. It was tickling at the beginning, but after a while Luna started to feel her mind going hazy and blank, caught in the pleasure he was kindling. “Nyx, I asked you a question.”

The man smiled, lifting her face to gaze in her eyes. 

“Do you want me to stay?” he asked, one hand on her stomach to keep her from falling and the other one on her leg for pleasure’s sake. He let his fingers wonder from her knee to her thigh, then her hip, proceeding with calm and desire.

Luna swallowed and nodded.

“Yes. Stay. Please.” 

Nyx got lost in her big blues, wet and warm, reflecting the colors of the vibrant fireworks. For a short moment he wondered what would have happened with his career, if he could ever go back being a Glaive, if he was ready to renounce to the dream of going back to Galahd. There were so many questions left unanswered but when he looked for a single worthy certainty, he knew that this would have been enough: Lunafreya would have been his future as she had been his present. 

Luna seemed to read him like an open book when these thoughts crossed his mind and she whispered, 

“Let’s start the new life you’ve always wished for… here. With me.” 

After all what transpired, Nyx couldn’t believe his ears. The princess’s offer opened doors to a future that was still unknown to his brain and he would have needed time to envision it. After all, a tomorrow was already more than he could ever dream of, having a tomorrow with the princess was beyond his comprehension. 

“Sounds good,” he whispered gruffly, excited but hesitant, kissing her forehead with devotion and affection. 

“We’d need to discuss the details then,” Luna added, raising her lips to reach his. 

“Tomorrow,” he nodded, slowly processing how having a lot of tomorrows wasn’t bad at all. 

“Tomorrow,” she agreed and then turned around in his arms, starting to dance again, opening her way to his kiss.


End file.
